What's Eating Timothy McGee?
by Emerald1
Summary: Drastic measures are needed but is McGee ready? If he didn't have a phobia before, he sure will now. Prompt: Archaic Medical Treatment. Yeah, that. Already finished, ten chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**a/n - Another h/c bingo card story. For this one the prompt was "archaic medical treatment" and it's a tag off Dog Tags so expect hurt McGee with a dose of PapaGibbs. No bashing, but a chance for someone to reevaluate her actions in that episode. Also a more realistic look at what would have happened with the dog because let's face it. Taking an active, highly trained working dog and trying to turn him into an apartment bound couch potato with an owner that works over 60 hours a week was a disaster waiting to happen. Besides, let's face it - not even Gibbs' magic could make the paperwork involved in the early release of a Navy dog just happen overnight.**

**If the title of the story hasn't already told you, McGee is central to the story. If you're one of those fans that hates the character or thinks we authors have no right to write about anyone but Tony, why are you here? In my stories, the team always works out their problems and the boys have a stronger friendship in the end.**

* * *

What's Eating Timothy McGee?

Timothy McGee sat nervously on the exam table, trying not to look at his arm. The large lighted magnifying glass showed the infected dog bite in graphic detail as Dr. Malone scraped away at the dying flesh. After almost an hour, Malone finally straightened up and waved his nurse over to bandage the wound.

"We need to be more aggressive, Agent McGee, otherwise we'll have no option but to operate."

He'd already been warned that the surgery would result in a loss of function in his dominate hand, ending his career as a field agent. "What do you suggest? Different antibiotics again?"

"Different and stronger. We'll start IV antibiotics tonight." Dr. Malone filled out the paperwork as he talked, so his nurse could get things started.

"That means being in the hospital, right? Is there any way to do it on an outpatient basis?"

Dr. Malone studied his patient. Something about this injury was haunting the man, much more that an understandable fear of big dogs. He'd become more and more withdrawn as the injury refused to heal, resulting in a deep infection. Not once in the last month had McGee come in with a friend for support. "You really can't hide this any longer."

Tim couldn't quite look him in the eye. "I'm not hiding. I turned in the paperwork and I'm on desk duty. I just don't want to be stuck in the hospital."

"We can do it as overnights in the ER. You get there before 2100, we'll get the IV started and have you ready to leave 0600. Probably not the most comfortable bed you've ever slept in, but it's either that or you spend the days at the hospital. Your choice."

Tim didn't hesitate. "Nights will work."

Malone was still uncomfortable. "Does your team even know how you were injured?"

"Yeah, they were there." Tim's voice trailed off and he shrugged, not knowing how to explain the jokes and the ridicule, let alone the anger from Abby when he turned the dog over to a rescue group instead of taking it home with him. The general opinion was that McGee was playing up the infection to stay out of the reach of the angry goth and he was in no mood to argue.

No matter how much he disapproved of the situation, there was little the doctor could do. "Okay, we'll set it up. Grab yourself some dinner and check in at the reception desk when you're done. Since you're already here, we'll start early tonight."

-NCIS-

As promised, Tim was ready to leave the hospital at 0600, giving him time to run home for a quick shower and a change of clothes. McGee was never so grateful to live so close to Bethesda and he was still able to leave in plenty of time to get to work, It hadn't been the most restful night's sleep he'd ever gotten, but after the years on Gibbs' team, it certainly wasn't the worst.

Ten minutes before the official start of the workday, McGee walked into the bullpen. Only Gibbs was there, so McGee dropped the new medical form on his desk without a word.

Over the last few weeks, a growing stack of medical restriction forms had made their way into McGee's file, but the specific restrictions looked different this time, so Gibbs stopped long enough to put his glasses on. In addition to the usual 'restricted to desk duty' was a new note limiting the number of hours McGee could work in a given day.

Curious and concerned, Gibbs walked over and leaned against the corner of McGee's desk. "Your arm's still not healing the way it should?"

Tim didn't look up as he shook his head. "No, it's not." If he had looked up, he'd have seen the concern on Gibbs' face. "Sorry, I know this is an inconvenience."

"We'll manage, but are you sure you don't want to take some medical leave?"

He'd been saving his medical leave in case surgery was the only option. "Not now, if... if this doesn't work, then I'll need it later."

"Why, what would be the next step?"

"Surgery to remove the infected tissue."

"How long would that put you out?" Gibbs studied him closely, realizing how serious this was.

Tim smoothed the tape covering the edge of the gauze wrapped around his arm and hand. "Weeks, maybe months, and I'd be permanently done as a field agent. I wouldn't even medically qualify for cybercrimes."

Gibbs tried to remember exactly where on McGee's arm were the worst of the bites. "You'd lose some function in your hand? How much?"

"Too much." The rest of the team arrived, so Tim shrugged and started booting up his computer. Gibbs didn't push any further, but he kept an eye on DiNozzo and didn't allow any teasing or pranks.

At 1800 hours Gibbs told them to call it a day. Tony and Ziva didn't waste any time in leaving and Tim hoped to be a few minutes behind them, but Gibbs called him over before he could make his escape. "Yeah, Boss?"

"Did you drive this morning?"

He'd barely managed to drive home the day he'd been mauled and hadn't been behind the wheel of his car since. "No, I took the bus."

Gibbs stood, picking up his coat. "Come on, I'll drive you home. We'll stop and get something to eat on the way."

"Umm, okay." He glanced at his watch, planning how much time he had before he had to get to the hospital.

The team leader noted the glance at the time and filed it away. "I'll have you home before curfew."

Unless they were on the road for a case, McGee had never sat down for a meal with his boss and he was nervous. He quickly found something on the menu that didn't require cutting or a great deal of finesse to eat. For his part, Gibbs didn't pry, but he watched closely and noted the swollen fingers that poked out of the thick bandages.

"Guess you're lucky your neck healed all right."

Tim reached up and touched the fresh scars on his throat. "If I'd developed the same infection in my neck as I did in my arm, I'd already be dead, Boss."

"What? You're serious?"

Tim nodded, suddenly fascinated with the fries on his plate as Gibbs sat back, stunned.

When the waitress cleared their plates and brought fresh coffee, Gibbs leaned close. "Do you want some water, or are you okay taking your antibiotics with your coffee?"

McGee almost choked on his drink. "I'm, umm, I'm fine, Boss. I don't have to take anything for a little while."

"Didn't see you take anything at work today either, McGee. Usually you take a couple of pills before the day's over." Gibbs knew exactly what time McGee took the orange and blue antibiotics and how rarely he broke down and took a pain pill while at work.

"Umm, they changed my meds yesterday. I don't take it until tonight." Even as he talked, he couldn't help but look at his watch again, keeping track of when he needed to be at the hospital.

Gibbs watched him closely, noting the increased respiration and how McGee shifted around in his seat. "What antibiotic do they have you on now?"

Feeling like he was on the wrong side of the table in interrogation, Tim didn't look up. "There's been so many, I don't remember the name of this one."

Several things had set off Gibbs' gut that evening, but that confession went to the top of the stack. With his degree in Bioengineering, McGee knew almost as much as Abby about the subject. Gibbs decided to push a little bit more. "With such a bad infection, it seems kind of odd that they'd be giving you a lower dosage right now."

The bouncing of his leg was causing rings to vibrate in his coffee and McGee found it fascinating. "It's not a lower dose, just a different delivery system."

Gibbs frowned, realizing that Tim didn't know how much he'd let slip. Instead, he backed off, giving McGee a chance to change the subject – at least until the car was pulling out of the diner's parking lot. "What time to you have to be at Bethesda?"

Tim froze and didn't say anything at first. Eventually, he dropped his head and sighed. "I need to check in by 2100."

"That's kind of late, what time are you done?"

"0600."

"All night? You're in the hospital all night?"

"It's not that big of a deal, Boss. Once the IV is started, I just go to sleep and then I'm done in time to go home and get ready for work."

"Yeah, it is a big deal." Nothing further was said on the subject and Gibbs drove him to the hospital. Tim wasn't surprised at all the next morning to find Gibbs freshly showered and changed, waiting to drive him home.

-NCIS-

With Gibbs sitting in his living room, McGee took one of his fastest showers and quickly got dressed for work. When he came out of the bedroom, Gibbs was poking around in his kitchen.

"You should eat something, McGee."

Tim made a face as he thought about eating. "I think I'll just wait for lunch, but if you see something you want, Boss, go for it. I don't think there's much food in the kitchen, though. I haven't felt much like eating."

Gibbs' expression reminded Tim of when Kate died. He was nice, he was gentle, he was solicitous. "The antibiotics doing a number on your stomach?"

"Yeah, sorry." His apology didn't get him a head slap, but a supportive hand on his shoulder as they walked out. Gibbs stopped at a diner on their way to work and came back with apple juice and dry toast for the younger man.

Paperwork keep them busy and quiet until lunchtime. Gibbs didn't even look up from the file he was reviewing. "DiNozzo, make the lunch run. Get something healthy and not greasy for a change."

Tony stared at him in shock. "Healthy? What, you want a salad, Boss?"

"Sure, why not. Make sure they've got plenty of protein in them, for all of us."

In all the years he'd known the man, Gibbs had never willingly eaten a dinner salad, let alone asked for one. "You want some wheatgrass juice while I'm at it?" What surprised Tony the most was the fact that Gibbs glanced over at McGee before vetoing the offer.

"No, no wheatgrass, and take Ziva with you. She knows more about healthy food."

The two agents looked at each other in surprise as they walked out of the squad room, but before Gibbs could check on how McGee was faring, a phone call sent him upstairs.

-NCIS-

"That was strange."

"Strange? That was weird as hell, Ziva."

Ziva continued to stare at the metal doors in front of her. "Do you suppose that Gibbs has orders from Ducky to improve his eating habits? When was his last physical?"

Reviewing the morning in his head, Tony didn't agree with her theory. "No, it's something to do with McGee. Did you see how the Boss was hovering over him today?"

"Gibbs was at his desk, Tony. I did not see him standing next to McGee at all."

"Not that kind of hovering, Ziva. He was watching him all morning."

Sometimes she thought he did it deliberately. "Then why did you not say that?"

Tony opened his mouth, then thought better of it. "Never mind, let's just go find health food. Does that even taste good?"

-NCIS-

"You wanted to see me, Director?"

Jenny looked over her reading glasses at him. "Yes, Jethro, tell me how much longer Agent McGee is going to be restricted to desk duty?"

He immediately bristled. "Until his doctor releases him to resume his full duties. Is that a problem?"

"It's been six weeks since he was injured, a month since he went onto restricted duties." Director Shepard pulled off her glasses and gave him a hard look. "If Agent McGee's injuries were that severe, why did he continue to work those first two weeks after he was attacked? If the medical restriction is a cover for some sort of psychological problem I need to know about it. Is he afraid of going back out in the field?"

"What? No. A secondary infection has set in." A rare flash of emotion crossed his face. "It's bad, Jen, and maybe if we'd taken his original injuries a little more seriously, he wouldn't be facing this now."

She studied him closely. "All right, keep me informed. If his restrictions go on much longer, we'll need to discuss bringing in a TAD to pick up the slack. How soon does McGee see his doctor again?"

"McGee is at the hospital every day for treatment, Director Shepard, and my team is managing just fine."

Watching him dig in his heels, Jenny knew the conversation was over for now. She gave him a nod and resumed her paperwork, silently dismissing him. Two could play at that game.


	2. Chapter 2

Alone in the bullpen, McGee flinched when he heard the elevator chime, followed by the clomp of heavy boots. Abby arrived, looking first at the empty desks.

"Where's Gibbs?"

Forcing himself to stay calm, McGee didn't look up. "He's upstairs with the Director."

"So, Tony and Ziva are out in the field with no back-up?" She moved to stand in front of his desk, arms crossed.

"Actually, they're picking up lunch. Is there a problem, Abby?"

His restraint made her see red. "Yeah, there's a problem, mister. You're hiding behind your desk and making everybody else do the work. You're not facing up to your responsibilities."

Tim rubbed at his forehead, wishing Gibbs would get back. "And what responsibilities would those be, Abby?"

"You gave away Jethro, McGee. He was your responsibility."

"No, Abby, he was yours." In all honesty, sleeping in the ER hadn't been as restful as he'd hoped and Tim was tired and hurting, his mental filter fragile at best. "You're the one that demanded he be released from the Navy, you're the one that demanded he be given to you, you're the one that demanded I take him because you didn't want the work."

Flabbergasted, Abby stared at McGee, but movement caught her eye and she turned to Gibbs as he descended the stairs. "Gibbs, did you hear that?"

"Yep." Gibbs continued on down the stairs, not speaking again until he was standing in front of Abby. "You think he's wrong?"

"Gibbs, he gave away Jethro." She stared at him, not grasping that he wasn't immediately agreeing with her.

"Three statements, Abs. Which was wrong?" Gibbs returned the stare, both amused and annoyed. "You saying it was an imposter that bullied them into retiring the dog? That it wasn't you that asked for the dog?"

"Well, no." Abby was even more confused by Gibbs' reaction. He was supposed to take her side – he was _always_ supposed to take her side. "I wanted him, but McGee gave him away, Gibbs."

"So now you're accusing McGee of theft? You're saying he broke into your apartment and stole the dog right out from under you?"

"What?" Frustrated, she stomped her foot. "It was McGee's responsibility to take care of him."

"Why?"

"Because he shot him."

"Does that mean that I'm responsible for every person I've ever shot? Don't think my house is that big, Abby."

"That's different, Gibbs."

"Why?"

"Jethro didn't do anything wrong."

"And McGee did?"

"He shot him."

Gibbs was beginning to understand what it was like to be on the wrong end of one of Abby's rampages. "What would you rather he do? Lay there and play chew toy until he was dead? Is that the only thing that will make you happy?"

The entire floor was deathly silent and Abby stared at him in horror. "That's a terrible thing to say, Gibbs."

"Then think about it, Abs." When she started to open her mouth again, he shook his head and pointed at the elevator. "In. Your. Lab."

Her mouth opened, closed and opened again, all without her uttering a sound. Finally she pursed her lips together before turning and storming out of the room. Gibbs watched her leave before turning to look at McGee. The younger man was silently staring at him, mouth open in shock. Gibbs smirked as he reached out and closed McGee's mouth before returning to his own desk.

-NCIS-

"Is this healthy enough, Ziva? It's tofu."

Ziva looked at what he was pointing at on the menu. "It is deep fat fried, Tony, not exactly the kind of healthy food Gibbs asked for. What about two chef's salads and two seafood salads? That way we each have a choice."

"I want a burger."

"You only want a burger because you were told to eat healthy today."

"I still want a burger."

"You are acting like a child, Tony. Gibbs may have been trying to tell you something."

Tony stared at her, eyes narrowing. "What? You think Gibbs is trying to tell me I'm fat?"

Ziva counted to ten – in Russian. "Fine, Tony, get yourself a burger." She took several steps away from him before turning around, tapping her lip. "Perhaps the team is being evaluated."

"Evaluated?"

"Yes." She nodded to herself as she thought through the possibility. "Did not Ducky suggest that you needed to start eating better several months ago?"

Tony knew she had a point. Actually, Ducky had been after him for his eating habits for several years now, but he'd kept sidestepping the older man. Perhaps the agency was going to start cracking down on fitness evaluations and this was Gibbs' way of warning him.

"Fine." He gave the woman behind the register a brittle smile. "I'll have the mixed greens with grilled chicken salad, non-fat dressing on the side."

Ziva smiled in approval. "Actually, we will have four of those. Thank you."

Tony had almost forgotten about the odd happenings by the time they returned to the Yard, but the guard quickly pulled he and Ziva off to the side. "What's going on, Henry?"

"Don't know exactly what it means, but I thought you'd better be warned."

"Warned about what?" Ziva shifted the drink tray to give her better access to his sidearm.

"You didn't hear this from me, but..." He looked around before lowering his voice even more. "One of the maintenance workers heard it from one of the evidence techs who heard it from somebody in HR." Henry nodded, pleased that he'd gotten the information trail straight.

Tony waited for a minute, but nothing else was said, He looked at Ziva who appeared just as baffled, so he turned back to the elderly man. "Heard what, Henry?"

Henry leaned even closer, this time bumping heads with DiNozzo. "Agent Gibbs gave Miss Sciuto the what-for."

"The what-for?"

"Yep." Satisfied that the warning had been given, Henry straightened back up. "It's never happened before, so watch your backs."

Giving one last knowing nod, Henry moved back to the metal detector. They were blocking traffic, so Tony and Ziva got on the elevator. As soon as it was moving, Ziva turned to Tony. "What, exactly, is a what-for?"

Tony looked just as bewildered as he shook his head. "In this context, I have no idea."

The squad room was eerily quiet when they arrived and after sharing a glance, Tony and Ziva squared their shoulders and walked to their team's corner of the room. Gibbs was silently working, while McGee was obviously distracted, glancing over at Gibbs every few seconds.

"Lunch is served." With a dramatic wave of his hand, Tony set the bags on his desk while Ziva handed out the drinks.

"So what are we eating, DiNozzo?" Gibbs sounded like he always did, but he didn't grumble or roll his eyes when handed a salad.

There was no conversation during the lunch break, not even about the cold case they were working. Gibbs ate, enjoying the peace while McGee ate while watching him. Tony was watching McGee watch Gibbs and Ziva quickly gave up and tried to come up with a reason to go to the lab. Sifting through the cold case as she ate, Ziva found a notation about one piece of evidence that had been tested by the local LEO's before the case had been shuffled off to NCIS. Seizing on that, Ziva made her excuses and went downstairs as soon as she was finished with her salad.

-NCIS-

"Abby, are you busy?" Ziva walked in, holding the bag containing the fiber evidence. Abby was sitting in front of the lab computer, staring at the screen saver. "Abby?"

"Oh, hey, Ziva."

"Is something wrong, Abby? You seem, what is the word, melancholy?"

"Am I a terrible person, Ziva?"

"No, why would you think that?"

Abby looked down, chewing on her lip. "Gibbs seems to think so."

"Why?" Ziva perched on the other stool. "What happened, Abby?"

"He said I wouldn't be happy unless McGee was dead." There was no response and Abby slowly looked over at her friend.

"Perhaps you should start at the beginning."

-NCIS-

Now that the suggestion was in his head, Tony couldn't ignore it. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Gibbs. "So, Boss, since we're just working cold cases right now, maybe it would be a good idea to slip in a little extra physical training – you know, improve our stamina?

Gibbs seemed to think about for a minute. "You're probably right, DiNozzo. You and Ziva head for the gym when she gets back."

"Okay," Tony glanced over at the other member of the team. "But what about McLazy? Shouldn't he be hitting the gym too?"

The only response was a raised eyebrow and Tony kept talking. "I mean, I'm not saying that McGee is out of shape or anything, but..."

"Tony?"

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Stop digging."

-NCIS-

"And then he sent me to my lab, Ziva. Like a little kid being sent to her room. It was humiliating."

Ziva was troubled, but not for the reasons Abby thought. "I'm sure it was, but there is one thing I do not understand."

"What?"

"Why, exactly, is the dog McGee's responsibility?"

"He shot him."

"Yes, but the dog recovered completely, did he not?"

"That's not the point."

Ziva shook her head in confusion. "Then what is the point, Abby? The dog attacked McGee, he fired his gun in self-defense. The dog was treated and fully recovered from both the bullet wound and from the knife tip he swallowed. Why is he still McGee's responsibility?

"He needed a home, Ziva."

"He had a home. He was a trained Navy drug dog. Once he was cleared of wrongdoing, Butch would have been assigned to another handler. You are the one that made him homeless, not McGee."

"His name is Jethro, not Butch."

With the crossed arms and stubborn set her her chin, Ziva knew she wouldn't get through to Abby, so she tossed out one last reminder before handing over the evidence to re-test. "Changing a dog's name does not erase years of training, no matter how pretty his eyes are."

-NCIS-

After comparing notes as they worked out, DiNozzo and Ziva were quiet the rest of the afternoon. It wasn't until Gibbs told them to pack it in for the day that Tony approached McGee. "Hey, we're going to go catch a movie, you want to go with us?"

"Thanks, Tony, but I can't."

Tony put on his best pleading face. "Come on, we'll catch the first showing, then I'll spring for dinner."

"You never pay for dinner, Tony. You pick out the restaurant and then vanish when the bill arrives."

The reminder made him wince, but Tony figured that most of the time it was a meal that could be added to an expense account and McGee was much better at those sort of things. "Scout's honor, I'll even give you the money before we sit down."

Tim was instantly suspicious. "Why?"

"Because I went a little too far with the dog thing and I want to make it up to you." Now that it was out there, Tony watched to see what the reaction was. The first thing he noticed was that McGee's shoulders seemed to relax slightly. The second thing was the shaking of the head.

"Thanks, but I can't."

"Why not? We're actually getting out of here on time, so let's live a little."

"Doctor's appointment." When he didn't elaborate further, Tony pressed him on it.

"That's not going to take all night, how about if we just did dinner?"

Seeing how uncomfortable McGee was, Gibbs stepped in. "Actually it is. You ready, McGee?" When he nodded, Gibbs rested his hand on Tim's shoulder and escorted him out. They were in Gibbs' car, leaving the Yard, before Tim said anything.

"I thought you'd make me tell him."

"You tell them when you're ready, not when you get bullied into it. Besides, it will do Tony good to stew about it for a while."

* * *

a/n - Before anyone yells at me about "accusing" Tony, we've seen two meals - once with Kate and Ducky and once with McGee - where he walked away from the table and left the others scrambling to cover his tab. I never understood why TPTB made such a point about that, but I felt justified in using it here.


	3. Chapter 3

Tony left for work hours early so he could stop and talk to Gibbs before the beginning of the work day; however, he arrived to find an empty house. "Where are you, Boss, and what's going on?" With nothing else to do, he was the first to arrive at the Yard, a rare occurrence. Thus, he was sitting at his desk when Gibbs and McGee walked in together, carrying matching breakfasts, McGee's arm now in a sling.

"I know you don't feel like eating, McGee, but you need to keep up your strength."

"Yeah, I know." McGee looked tired and sounded discouraged.

As Tony's eyes widened, Gibbs guided McGee to his desk. "Just eat what you can." Gibbs didn't say anything to Tony, but his expression spoke volumes. The younger man knew that teasing was off the agenda, not that he wanted to after seeing McGee.

"Hey, Buddy, looks like the doctor's appointment didn't go so good, huh?"

Tim gave a wan smile. "Well, they haven't cut my arm off yet."

It took Tony a minute to realize that he wasn't joking. "Wait a minute, it's that bad?"

Gibbs spoke up before McGee could say anything. "Did you think he's been on medically ordered desk duty for a month just for the hell of it, DiNozzo?"

The possibility that McGee was milking it had crossed his mind more than once and Tony felt guilty as he buried himself in the case on his desk. Gibbs watched him for a few minutes before returning his attention to his own paperwork.

Ziva arrived on time to find the rest of the team already hard at work. "Am I late?" She leaned over to check the time. "Were we scheduled for an early shift?"

"Nope, just getting a good start on the day." Gibbs didn't look up as he spoke, so she exchanged curious glances with Tony before settling at her own desk.

At lunchtime, Tony offered to make the run before anyone else could and he returned with a special lunch for McGee. "Here you go, soup, crackers and ginger-ale. That should help your stomach."

"Thanks, Tony."

Tony hesitated, wanting to say more, before returning to his desk. Instead, he waited until McGee was in the head to approach Gibbs.

Gibbs shot him down before he could even ask. "I'm not making him tell you, DiNozzo. You want him to trust you, you're going to have to earn it."

That hurt. "You're saying he doesn't trust me, Boss? I've always had his back."

"In the field, yeah, but what happens when the shooting stops?" Gibbs tossed his pen down and leaned back in his chair. "We all screwed this one up, Tony, but some of us have further to climb to get out of the hole."

Tony remembered what Gibbs had told him the day before. "Stop digging, right? I'm trying, Boss."

"I know you are, so does McGee. Just don't expect one day of trying to wipe out six weeks of riding his ass." Gibbs watched his reaction closely. Razzing his partner was so natural to DiNozzo that he honestly didn't realize when he crossed the line. Gibbs was going to have to work with him on that and with McGee on how to reign Tony in when needed. Neither would be a quick fix and McGee's medical issues were the priority for now.

Tony didn't have to be told, he knew exactly when he'd screwed up and it started with his teasing about rabies. "You think he'll let me start making it up to him tonight?"

"He's got another appointment tonight."

"Again?"

"Every night this week."

That, more than anything else, told Tony just how serious the problem was. Ziva had been listening quietly and before McGee returned, she excused herself to the lab.

-NCIS-

Tim bent down to wash his hands, careful to not get the bandages wet. As he straightened up a sharp pain shot through his leg. He rode it out, hanging onto the sink for balance. When the pain subsided, there was an odd, numb sensation down the front of his thigh. He carefully flexed his leg before putting weight on it. He could stand all right, but he knew that it would be one more thing to mention to his doctor that night. Groaning at the thought of more tests, he walked back to his desk, making it just back to the bullpen when another shooting pain hit. This time there was nothing close enough to grab onto and he felt his leg buckle. Vaguely he heard his name being shouted out, but then his arm hit something and all he knew was pain.

-NCIS-

"Abby, do you have the results for me yet?" Ziva came in to find Abby studying security footage from the front of the building. "Is there a problem?"

"Umm, no." Abby hurriedly minimized the screen, but Ziva reached around her and brought it back up.

"What is this?" The footage looped and showed Gibbs and McGee as they walked in. "Who are you stalking, Abby, McGee or Gibbs?"

"I'm not stalking anybody, Ziva." This time Abby closed the screen. "I heard that McGee was wearing a sling this morning and I was just curious."

"Of course." Ziva gave a forced smile and repeated her earlier question. "The results?"

"Oh, I... umm, I don't have them ready yet. I've been really busy and it's just a cold case." Abby wouldn't look at her, so she didn't see Ziva's critical appraisal of the empty tables and silent machines.

Ziva was becoming more than a little annoyed. "My apologies, Abby. I will tell Gibbs that you are too busy to work on our case and ask if we can use another lab."

"NO, no, I'll get to it today, I promise." When Ziva didn't say anything, Abby finally blurted out the rest. "I was just... I left early yesterday so I could go see Jethro."

"You walked away from a case to spend time with a dog? Gibbs will not be pleased."

Abby nodded at that. Up until yesterday in the squad room she'd thought she could get away with about anything. After the confrontation she wanted a reminder of why she'd been right about the dog, but it had not gone according to plan. "The foster people said that it would be months before Jethro would be ready to go to a new home and they call him Butch, too."

Ziva wasn't as surprised as Abby had been. "He was a trained military dog, that does not go away with the wave of your hand. It is easier when they are older and ready to be retired. Butch is still young."

"That's pretty much what they said." Starting to feel guilty, she stared at the floor as she confessed the rest. "McGee might have found them a solution, apparently. A small police department in Vermont just lost their only dog to cancer and they don't have the budget to buy and train another one."

"But Butch is already trained." Ziva thought about it. "He would continue to do what he is trained to do, but he would live full time with his assigned officer instead of being kenneled. It sounds like a good option. I do not think Butch would be totally suited for life as a couch tomato."

"Potato, it's couch potato, Ziva." Abby smiled, but just for a second. "He was happy with me."

"He was also sedated and injured, Abby. You were not dealing with a German Shepard at full capacity. Besides, you were not willing to make the changes in your life necessary to keep him."

"Neither was McGee."

"McGee is not the one that took him away from the only home he had ever known, either. I'm still waiting on those results, Abby." Ziva gave her a pointed look before leaving.

Alone once again in her lab, Abby opened the video again on her computer, staring at the sling on McGee's arm.

-NCIS-

Gibbs always had an awareness of what was going on around him, so he noticed immediately that McGee was limping slightly on his return from the restroom. Knowing the younger man's propensity to keeping his troubles private, he pushed his chair back, preparing to join him at his desk. McGee didn't make it that far, however and Gibbs called out as Tim's leg suddenly buckled and he went down hard, hitting his arm on the edge of the desk he'd been reaching for.

On his feet and moving before it even registered, Gibbs passed by a shocked DiNozzo. "Tony, get Ducky up here."

While Tony made the call, Gibbs supported McGee, watching him closely. "Easy, McGee, just ride it out. Do you know what happened?"

Tim panted, waiting for the pain to ease. "Not sure, weird pain in my leg, then it went numb... started a few minutes ago. Didn't last long, figured I'd just mention it to my doctor tonight, then it hit again."

By the time he finished, Ducky had arrived. Listening to the end of the explanation, Ducky frowned and began poking and prodding at his leg.. "Timothy, had you felt anything like this before?"

"No, nothing like this, ever."

The front of Tim's thigh was warm to the touch, even through his slacks, alarming Ducky as he considered what was going on with his arm. "That sling is new, what did the doctor say about your arm?"

McGee's pain levels were finally down to a point where he could carry on a conversation. "We're kinda running out of antibiotic options, so Dr. Malone said he wanted to give this one every opportunity to work, that movement could be increasing the irritation."

"I see. What is the current antibiotic of choice? Is the bottle at your desk?"

Gibbs was the one to answer him. "IV antibiotics, Duck. Eight hours a night, started two nights ago."

Something he'd read months ago started nagging at Ducky, but he couldn't place it yet. "So, it was a new antibiotic? Do you remember what it was called?" While he asked, Ducky started to ease McGee's uninjured arm out of his jacket before removing the sling and sliding the jacket sleeve carefully off his injured arm.

Tim had to think carefully to remember what his current medication was. "Ciprofloxacin, yeah, that's what I'm on now. The nurse called it Cipro. You're not thinking that has something to do with this?"

"It is possible, McGee. I read a study not long ago that suggests certain people can have very serious difficulties while on Cipro." Ducky tutted disapprovingly at the seepage from the bandage that had soaked through McGee's shirt sleeve. "I can clean this up for you but I suspect your doctor will want to see you sooner than later."


	4. Chapter 4

Arriving at the hospital, Ducky leaned over the back of his seat and pointed a finger at McGee. "Stay put while I fetch a nurse with a wheelchair."

If Tim was going to argue, one look from Gibbs stopped him in his tracks. "Yeah, okay."

"Good lad. Now, I'll be back in just a moment."

Letting his head fall back against the seat, McGee closed his eyes. Ducky appeared to suspect what was wrong with his leg and he was taking no chances, insisting that it be kept perfectly straight as Tony helped Gibbs get him into the car. His door opened and Gibbs was right there, supporting him as he was slid out of the backseat and into a wheelchair. The nurse was very careful as she settled his leg onto the raised footrest before he was whisked into the Emergency Department.

Ducky and Dr. Malone were already deep in conversation when Tim was wheeled into the room. Gibbs followed behind and helped McGee as he was transferred to the narrow bed. A shot of painkiller was given before they did anything else. The older agent got his first view of the infected wounds when the nurse helped him remove his shirt before cutting away the bandages.

Even Gibbs had to look away for a second after seeing the weeping, oozing mess that was once McGee's arm. "My God, Tim, how did it get this bad?"

When Tim nodded his okay to discuss the situation, Dr. Malone joined them. He supervised as the nurse began irrigating the wound, flushing out the draining pus and fluid and easing the packing materials out of the deepest areas of the wound.

"Unfortunately, it's a combination of several things. The infection is one that is apparently resistant to most antibiotics, which mixed with Tim's allergies to several families of antibiotics has made it difficult to find an appropriate combination. Of course, the cocaine that was introduced into the injury when he was attacked further weakened his body's ability to fight off the infection by damaging the tissue and masking the early signs of the infection. The grinding motion of the animal's teeth worked it in very deeply, much deeper than you would find in a normal injury."

"Cocaine? From the dog's saliva? There was enough cocaine in his saliva to affect McGee?" Gibbs glanced over at Ducky, noting the guilty expression on the other man's face. Neither of them had taken that into account when they'd slapped a bandage on his arm and sent him off with the dog.

The nurse had the wound cleaned out, so she stepped back to give Dr. Malone room. He sat down next to the bed as she wheeled over a large magnifying lens surrounded by lights. With both Gibbs and Ducky watching over his shoulder, Malone carefully examined the wound before letting the nurse take photos.

"I want copies of those."

The request from the senior agent seemed to catch the doctor off guard. He glanced up at McGee who hesitated, then nodded. "All right, do you just want the photos from today or do you want the complete records?"

Gibbs was still staring at the magnified view of the wound. "All of it."

Malone moved closer once the nurse was finished and began scraping at the wound, first taking a sample for the lab before continuing to remove the dying tissue as Ducky started to question him.

"How often does Timothy undergo debridement?"

"For a heavier debridement, usually two or three times a week. We do a lighter version like this every time we repack the wound."

"I see, and how often is that?"

"Every other day unless the drainage soaks though earlier."

As the two doctors discuss antibiotic options and the various problems the patient had with them, Gibbs watched in morbid fascination as the strips of surgical gauze were soaked in saline solution before being wedged into the deepest parts of the damage.

Just as Gibbs thought he was going to have to step away, it was finished and the entire arm was wrapped in dry gauze from the hand to the elbow. "You okay, McGee?"

"Yeah, sure, I'm getting pretty used to it by now." Despite the brave words, Tim's forehead was covered with sweat and he was slightly trembling. Never having seen Gibbs that ashen, Tim asked his own question. "Are you okay, Boss?"

Still staring at the now wrapped arm, Gibbs absently nodded.

Dr. Malone stripped off his gloves as he stood. "Well, it certainly didn't help, but I don't think falling made it any worse. Now, let's take a look at your leg."

With Gibbs' help, the hurting man slid down his slacks, showing the dark bruise that had already formed on the front of his thigh. Gibbs thought back, remembering exactly how McGee had fallen. His leg hadn't hit anything on his way down. "How did that bruise happen? Did you fall while you were in the head?"

"No, Boss." Tim was staring at his leg as Dr. Malone ordered an immediate MRI. As soon as the doctor hung up the phone, Tim turned to him. "What's happening to me?"

Malone exchanged a look with Ducky. "There have been a few reported cases where Ciprofloxacin has caused some – unusual – side effects."

"Like what?"

"I'm sorry, Tim, it looks like the tendon has ruptured."

"Ruptured?"

As Dr. Malone continued to explain how the four major muscles of the quadriceps joined together to form the patellar tendon Tim stared at his leg, wondering if this was going to destroy his career before his arm did the job.

"How bad is this? Can it be fixed?"

"Since your kneecap is still in position, and Dr. Mallard was so careful to limit the movement, I suspect that you've only suffered a partial rupture. That's a good thing because with this infection we really don't want to have to cut into your leg right now."

"So it will heal on its own?"

"If the MRI confirms a partial rupture, we'll put your leg in an immobilizer for six weeks. After that, we'll reevaluate."

Gibbs looked over at Ducky. "Will he regain full strength in his leg?"

Ducky heard the unasked question. "With luck and a great deal of therapy, his leg should recover enough for Timothy to return to the field, Jethro. It will take some time, but I suspect his arm will take even longer."

Two orderlies arrived to take McGee for the MRI, ending the conversation.

-NCIS-

After helping Gibbs and Ducky get McGee into the car, Tony returned to his desk and rested his head in his hands. At the nearby desk he could hear Ziva quickly typing and repeatedly backspacing before muttering under her breath. Finally he looked up at her. "What are you doing?"

"I am trying to find the medicine that Ducky was talking about, but I cannot determine the spelling."

Tony scrambled to his feet. "Abby will know." With Ziva at his heels, he went straight to the lab. Down in the lab, Abby jumped when they came rushing in.

"Whoa, guys, where's the fire?"

Tony didn't waste any time. "Abs, what can you tell us about an antibiotic called ciro... ciro... ciro-something."

"No, the short name was more like cipo."

Abby looked between them. "Maybe it was Cipro? Ciprofloxacin?"

"Yes, that was it."

"Yeah, Abs, what can you tell us about it? Ducky said something about major problems."

"Serious, he called it serious, Tony."

"Major, serious, whatever. The point is that McGee collapsed and they rushed him to the hospital."

"Collapsed? McGee collapsed?" Abby screeched as she grabbed Tony's jacket. "What do you mean he collapsed? Why didn't anybody come tell me?"

"I thought you did not care what happened to McGee. Abby."

"That's not true, Ziva. I just wanted him to..."

"Bend over backwards and do whatever you wanted no matter how rough it was on him?" Tony finished for her, his own feelings of guilt weighing him down.

Abby didn't answer, busying herself with a search on the drug. The first handful of sites she found gave the standard information, then she found a patient's forum where the discussion was on what they called the darker side of Cipro. She paled even more than normal. "Umm, guys, this is bad. This is really, really bad. They're talking about it causing seizures and neurological problems and partially crippling people, sometimes for months." Leaning closer to the screen, she continued to search. Eventually, she seemed satisfied and turned to face them.

"Okay, they're rare problems and the AMA and the FDA haven't agreed with a lot of them yet, but one rare complication they've admitted to is that sometimes it will weaken a tendon and cause it to tear apart."

Tony glanced over at Ziva. She had arrived moments after Ducky so she didn't see McGee go down, but Tony remembered every detail. "His left leg just buckled and he was in a lot of pain."

"Why would a drug with such serious side effects be allowed on the market?"

Ziva had posed a good question and Abby wasn't sure how to answer it. "Most of the time the patients are elderly or have other medical issues or they're being given pretty massive doses. I don't know, McGee's young and he's in pretty good health, so... How many of those pills has he been taking?"

"Not pills, Abby. Gibbs told Ducky that Tim's been in the hospital every night for an IV of that stuff."

"IV antibiotics, Tony? That's bad, that's really, really bad."

"Yeah, I know."

Major Mass Spec chose that moment to beep and Abby printed out the findings for Ziva. "Here, this is the test you wanted me to run." Feeling guilt on several accounts, Abby wouldn't look Ziva in the eye as she handed the paper over.

-NCIS-

"Well?" Gibbs was sitting next to McGee when Dr. Malone returned with a troubled look on his face.

Malone didn't beat around the bush. "I've been consulting with a wound specialist that's been traveling between military hospitals for the last six months. He's arriving here at Bethesda tomorrow and you've just been bumped to the top of his list. He's recommending that we try one more antibiotic tonight. I'll warn you, thought – it's a derivative of one we tried a few weeks ago. The one that made you break out in hives. You could have a similar reaction, possibly even worse."

Gibbs didn't like the sound of that, nor the passive way that McGee accepted the decision. "What are you going to do to prevent it from happening again?"

"We're going to start him on a course of antihistamines and corticosteroids. Hopefully that will keep any reaction under control." the doctor checked his watch. "All right, I've got a consult with Orthopedics to review your MRI results. We probably won't start the antibiotics for at least another three hours, so why don't you try and get some rest. It could be a long night."

Gibbs turned to McGee. "I'll let the Director know what's going on and pack up some clothes for you since you'll be staying at my place for a while." When Tim started to argue, Gibbs stared him down. "Between that leg and your arm, you're not going to be climbing those stairs any time soon. It's not open to discussion, McGee."

Tim started to open his mouth, then thought better of it and just nodded a reluctant agreement. Gibbs patted his good arm. "I'll check in with Ducky and be back before you know it. Anything besides the basics you want me to grab from your place?"

He thought about spending entire evenings with Gibbs, the functional mute. No cable, no internet either. "There's some books on my nightstand."

"All right, see you in a couple of hours." Gibbs followed Dr. Malone out into the hallway. "Okay, what aren't you telling him?"

Malone hesitated and Ducky joined them, fresh from reading through McGee's entire file. "Jethro, they're running out of options. If this last antibiotic doesn't at least slow down the infection, we will have to seriously discuss whether the chances of saving his lower arm is worth the risks involved in delaying surgery. It may sound cold-hearted, but he'll have more function with a lower arm prosthetic than one goes up to his shoulder."

Gibbs looked horrified and Ducky rushed to reassure him. "We're not to the point where we need to have that discussion yet, but be aware; it may be a possibility."

"We're not there yet, Duck. I'm running back to the Yard for a few minutes. Are you staying here or coming back?"

"I'll return with you so I can fetch my car and check on Mother." Ducky picked up the folder of photos and followed Gibbs out to the car, not speaking again until they were on the road.

"I'm afraid I have done that young man a great disservice. The day he was mauled, I did not take the cocaine exposure into consideration."

"None of us did, Ducky."

"Yes, well, cocaine was originally developed as a numbing agent for surgery, Jethro. I based a great deal of my concern on Timothy's pain levels without taking into account the fact that he'd basically had a nerve block ground into the injury. Perhaps if I'd insisted he go to the hospital to have the bites surgically cleaned out and attended to, he might not be in this situation right now."

"Like I told DiNozzo, we all screwed this one up. Best we can do is to stop digging and start helping."

Ducky didn't look entirely convinced so he changed the subject. "What are your intentions with these photographs, Jethro?"

"He was injured on the job. I want the case file to reflect that."

"And it has nothing to do with making sure a few somebodies know exactly how much young Timothy has been suffering all this time?"

The corner of Gibbs' mouth twitched slightly. "That's just a perk, Ducky."

* * *

**a/n - traffic has been down since Tuesday, is everyone still in shock? I know I am. Thanks for the hits and reviews, though. They do make my day. I was asked why Abby didn't react more about McGee's arm being in a sling. Remember, acknowledging the injury means acknowledging that the dog really hurt him and she's not quite to that point yet. Soon**.


	5. Chapter 5

Gibbs checked and Jenny Shepard's meeting had ended over an hour ago, giving her enough time to return to the Yard. Sure enough, the agency SUV was sitting in its parking space. After separating from Ducky, Gibbs went straight up to her office, noticing DiNozzo's scrutiny as he stepped off the elevator and crossed the catwalk.

Cynthia waved him right in. "Director Shepard heard about Agent McGee. She's been waiting for your report."

Once he entered the office, the Director quickly ended her phone call. "Cynthia told me that Agent McGee collapsed earlier. How is he?"

Sitting across from her, he decided not to beat around the bush. "He had a reaction to this last round of antibiotics. It caused a tendon to rupture in his leg."

"A tendon is his leg ruptured because of the antibiotics he was taking? I've never heard of that."

Gibbs understood her surprise. "It's rare, but common enough that there's been some studies published. Luckily, our ME had read one of them, knew how to minimize the damage. He'll be in an immobilizer while it heals, but eventually he should regain full range of motion and strength. It's just going to take some time and therapy."

Jenny leaned forward, resting her chin on her interlaced fingers. "What happens now? I assume he won't be on that antibiotic any longer."

"No, after that reaction, they won't be trying it again. In a few hours they're going to start him on one that's a derivative of another antibiotic that he's already had a reaction to. It's a risk, but they're running out of options. At least when the wound specialist arrives at Bethesda tomorrow, McGee's been bumped up to the top of the list."

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that, Jethro."

He stared at her. "Excuse me?"

"I realize that he's a member of your team, but he is a civilian. To have him moved up ahead of soldiers that were injured in combat..." Jenny shook her head. "I'm sorry, but you need to look at the bigger picture."

"The bigger picture?" Gibbs laid the folder of photos on her desk, but didn't open it as he leaned across, stopping when he was only inches from her face. "The bigger picture is that he was attacked and gravely injured by a Navy dog, while protecting Naval interests aboard a Navy base. This the kind of bigger picture you want, Director?"

With the implied threat hanging in the air, Gibbs opened the folder and fanned out the pictures, giving graphic testament to the severity of the wound. Jenny gasped and turned away, her hand over her mouth. Gibbs waited a moment before collecting the photos and placing them back in the folder.

She finally looked back at him. "I never dreamed it was that bad. Could he lose his arm?"

"Yeah, he could. This doctor tomorrow is probably be his last hope. I don't care if it's politically correct or not, McGee needs this."

Shepard's eyes flickered down to the folder, but she made no attempt to look at the contents again. "Very well, keep me in the loop, Agent Gibbs." He stood and picked up the folder, she waited until he was almost to the door before speaking again. "I'm not heartless, Jethro. I want to see Agent McGee recovered and back at his job, too."

There was a lot he could say at that moment to her, but he settled for a glare before slamming the door behind him.

-NCIS-

Unsure of her welcome, Abby stood in front of Tony's desk, wringing her hands. "I heard Gibbs is back. What did he say about McGee?"

Tony answered before Ziva could. "I don't know, Abs. He went straight up to the Director's office."

She nodded and sat on the corner of his desk to wait with them. When Gibbs came down the stairs, Abby jumped to her feet. "Gibbs, Tony told me what happened and I researched the antibiotic, so I think I might know what happened."

"Ruptured tendon from the Ciprofloxacin." He smirked at her shock that not only did he know, he could rattle off the name of the drug in question. "Docs already figured that one out."

"Can they fix it, Boss?"

"To big of a risk to cut him open right now so they're hoping it will heal without surgery, Tony." Gibbs wasn't going to give them details just yet; instead, he handed over the folder. "I want the documentation of McGee's injuries added to the Hanson file."

Tony took the folder as the two women crowded around him.

"Sure, Boss, what..." Horrified, Tony looked up at him while Ziva continued to stare and Abby shook her head.

"No, Gibbs, this can't be right, this can't be Timmy's arm."

"Yeah, Abs, it is."

She looked close to tears as she picked up one of the later photos. "Jethro did this?"

Gibbs gave her a careful look. "Still think he shouldn't have defended himself?"

"Butch is a trained military dog." Seeing the damage, Ziva's words hit home. "Only his trainer could have called him off."

"And Hanson was already dead." Abby was still staring at the close up of the damage. "We'll never know for sure exactly what happened when Hanson died, will we?"

"Nope. Dog was out of his mind with cocaine, had Hanson's blood all over him. Just because Hanson was stabbed and there was another dog involved..."

Abby nodded at Gibbs' words. "McGee would have had no way of knowing about the other dog."

"How would you expect any of us to react if we got jumped by an out-of-control, ninety pound dog already covered with somebody else's blood?" Gibbs pointed to the picture she was clutching. "Would you expect Tony, Ziva or me to just lay there while we're getting torn apart like that?"

"No." Her voice was so soft he could barely hear her.

"Then why didn't McGee get the same from you?"

"I don't know."

"Think about it, Abs. I'm going back to the hospital."

"Probie up to some visitors, Boss?"

"Not tonight, DiNozzo. They don't even have him in a regular room." Gibbs gave Abby a pointed look before leaving.

-NCIS-

The military influence in McGee's life was never so evident as when Gibbs started packing some of his clothes. Precisely spaced hangers in the closet, perfectly rolled t-shirts in the drawers, McGee may have never gone to boot camp, but some of the lessons he'd obviously learned from his father. Gibbs quickly filled the duffel before moving into the bathroom. Just as he was finishing, Gibbs remembered the books on the nightstand. He rolled his eyes at the titles of the two technical manuals before packing them as promised.

-NCIS-

Gibbs gave a brief nod to the nurse at the desk, but she called him over instead of buzzing him in. "He's been officially admitted and moved into Intensive Care."

"Why? What happened?" Gibbs glanced down at his watch, not knowing what could have gone wrong in the few hours he'd been gone.

"I'm not sure, sir. Dr. Malone just told me to send you over there when you arrived."

The nurse at the ICU desk had apparently been warned about Gibbs as she started speaking the moment he arrived. "I think Dr. Malone is just being cautious with his treatment before starting the antibiotics."

"So they haven't started yet," he glanced down at her name tag, "Shellie?"

"Not yet." She stood and started walking him back to McGee's room. "He's been given large doses of antihistamines and corticosteroids in preparation, though." They were at the door and Gibbs could see McGee's still form. "He's pretty sleepy from the antihistamines, but that's to be expected."

"Yeah, okay." Now next to the bed, Gibbs automatically reached out and straightened the blankets. McGee snuffled before settling down again, but didn't fully waken and Gibbs smirked at just how young his agent looked. "When do you start them?"

Shellie bit back a smile at the almost paternal gesture. "Dr. Malone wants to monitor Agent McGee personally, so we'll start the IV after he finishes his rounds."

Gibbs nodded as he sat down. About twenty minutes later, Dr. Malone arrived with Shellie and the small bag of antibiotic IV along with several other, larger bags of fluid. They made no attempt to be quiet as starting the IV would wake Tim up anyway.

Tim startled awake, looking up to see Gibbs next to him. "Boss, you came back."

"Said I would, McGee." Gibbs didn't like the surprise on Tim's face.

"I know. Figured the team would get a call-out – something more important."

Malone looked over McGee's uninjured arm carefully, looking for a place to start the new line. Finally, he chose the back of Tim's hand. After six unsuccessful attempts he stopped and a hot compress was placed over Tim's hand. "This should help bring the vein up some."

Gibbs wanted to ask why they hadn't done that in the beginning. He wasn't surprised when McGee endured the repeated attempts without complaint, but when Malone started moving the needle side to side, attempting to locate a vein, it was all Gibbs could do not to throttle the man. Eventually, after more multiple attempts and the arrival of a specialist from the lab, the IV line was established. Saline was started first before the bag of medications was added to the line.

"Have you had to do this every night?"

"Tim's veins are quite – challenging."

"Why don't you just cap the line between times and leave it in place?" Gibbs was getting mad as he looked at the myriad of bruises on Tim's hand and arm, some freshly forming while more were in various stages of healing. He was mad at the medical staff that didn't seem to be putting their patient's comfort high enough on their list. He was mad at McGee for not standing up for his own needs more. But mostly, he was mad at himself for not being more proactive in the beginning, for not stepping in and stopping the hazing sooner, and most of all for letting his young agent flounder, unsure of his importance to the team.

At least Malone seemed embarrassed by his answer. "It's not policy for outpatients."

Annoyed, Gibbs dismissed him from his mind as he stepped closer to the bed. "Bet you're glad that part's over, McGee."

Tim let out a shaky breath as he nodded. "Even worse than getting superglued all the time."

It was meant as a joke to lighten the mood, but to Gibbs it was another reminder of discomfort the younger man had endured at the hands of his own team. He laid his hand on McGee's head. "Try to get some rest, Tim, you've had a rough day."

The IV was only fractionally drained when Gibbs noticed a change in McGee's breathing. Malone apparently noticed it too because he quickly stepped closer to the bed. Within seconds, McGee was gasping and struggling to breathe.

"Damn it." Malone grabbed the clamp to stop the flow instantly before pulling the small bag of antibiotic off the larger bag of saline. Several nurses took over with the IV while Malone started McGee on oxygen and listened to his breathing. The doctor snapped his fingers at Gibbs. "Help him sit up."

Gibbs did as he was told, quickly getting McGee sitting upright to help his breathing while the bed slowly moved. Once the upper part of the bed was in a fully upright position, Gibbs let McGee rest against it, but he didn't let go. The panicked green eyes that kept watching him told him it was the right thing to do. "Easy, Tim, easy. You're going to be okay, you hear me? The nod was weak, but McGee calmed down almost immediately.

After the medication was removed and the line flushed, the fluids were started again, this time at a much higher flow. Shellie disappeared and then returned with several emergency doses of epinephrine. Dr. Malone listened again to Tim's chest before nodding to her. The medication was dispensed and within moments, McGee's breathing became audibly easier.

"Guess we can take that one off the list." Malone's joke fell flat as Gibbs gave him a hard look. "We'll let you rest for a little while and then we'll decide our next step."

Gibbs glared at him as he left the room before turning his attention back to McGee. The epinephrine and the struggle to breathe had left him drenched in sweat and the dropped IV's had soaked the sheets. The nurses worked together to sponge him down and change the bedding before slipping out the door.

The green eyes that had continued to watch him were now clouded with drugs and exhaustion. "Hey, McGee, how ya' doing?"

"Don't want to do this anymore, Boss."

Worried by the defeated tone, Gibbs bent down so that he was inches from McGee's face. "I know you're tired, McGee, but you're going to get through this. We're going to do it together."

Tim was definitely fading, the thumb rubbing across his forehead wasn't helping, either. "Okay."


	6. Chapter 6

**a/n - Hey, guys, thanks for all the great comments, they make my day, especially when I'm sick. Remember that McGee's been undergoing various treatments for six weeks before the beginning of the story. Just assume that he's already been through pretty much every option that traditional medicine has to offer.**

* * *

At 0500 Gibbs woke as he did most mornings, but it took him a minute to remember where he was. The smell of antiseptic and the soft squeak of wheels against linoleum told him he was in a hospital. The fact that he was sitting upright in a chair told him that, for once, he wasn't the patient. It was McGee, his geek, the one that was supposed to never get hurt, that was laying in a bed in the Intensive Care Unit at Bethesda. Gibbs watched him for a moment. He was sleeping soundly, the product of drugs most likely, but the crease in his forehead told Gibbs it wasn't a restful sleep. Quietly, as to not wake McGee, Gibbs went out to find a nurse.

A new shift of nurses was at the desk and one of them looked up and smiled. "Is he awake already?"

"No, but he's in pain."

After she sent a message to the resident on duty, Gibbs accepted her offer of a cup of coffee from their break room before returning to McGee's room to wait for a doctor. A thin man with a nervous speech pattern that reminded him of Palmer arrived.

The sound of the footsteps was enough to wake McGee and he looked around blearily until he saw Gibbs. "Boss?"

"Easy, Tim. The specialist will be here soon, but this doctor's going to check you over for now." Gibbs stepped back to let the resident look at his injured man.

"Well, Mr. McGee,let's take a look at you, shall we?"

"Agent."

"What?" He turned and looked at Gibbs, bumping the bed as he did. Tim grunted in pain, but the doctor didn't register what he had done.

"His name is Agent McGee, not mister."

"Oh, okay then, I guess it's a good thing I'm not under investigation or anything, right?"

Gibbs just stared at him and the doctor nervously turned back to the patient. He poked and prodded and then left without saying a word. Gibbs waited a few minutes, expecting him to come back with a dose of pain medication. When that didn't happen, he left to go find him.

"Are you going to do anything for him?"

"Umm, he's not significantly worse than he was last night and the orders from Dr. Malone stated no pain meds after 0400."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well, can you make a guess?"

The answer came from behind Gibbs. "Thank you, Dr. Huber, I'll take it from here." Dr. Malone watched the younger man scurry off before turning his attention to Gibbs, introducing the man next to him. "Agent Gibbs, this is Dr. Tullis, I was just bringing him up to speed on Timothy's case."

Gibbs shook the offered hand as he looked over the newcomer. Tanned, with sun bleached hair, he looked like he'd just come off a tour of duty, which he had. "You the wound specialist?"

"That's me. I've been reviewing Agent McGee's records and I believe I can help him, but I'll know more after I do a full exam and run some tests." Some equipment was being wheeled into the room, causing them to move away from the door. "Give me about half an hour and I'll know for sure."

The dismissal was apparent but before Gibbs could argue, his phone rang. Dispatch had received a call about a body found. A quick call to the Metro Detective on the scene told Gibbs that it was a body dump and the body had been there for at least a week. Knowing that, Gibbs felt comfortable sending DiNozzo and Ziva without him. His next call was to Dr. Mallard.

"Ducky, where are you?"

_~My apologies, Jethro, Mother had a rather restless night. I'm just pulling into the parking lot now.~_

"Change of plans, Duck. Team's on their way to a body dump, need you there."

_~I see. Are you on your way there, also?~_

"Nah, Tony and Ziva can handle it. The specialist is in with McGee right now. Wish you could sit in on it, but the case needs you."

_~Very well. I'm outside the main doors with coffee. Would you like to...~_

Gibbs grinned, the coffee at the hospital was almost as bad as the coffee at the break room. "On my way." After quickly telling the nurse where he was going, Gibbs jogged out to meet the Medical Examiner.

-NCIS-

"Is Gibbs meeting us there?"

Tony shook his head as he picked up his backpack. "Nope, he's still with McGee. We can have a TAD join us or we can do it ourselves. At least it's a body dump and not a fresh crime scene."

"With just the two of us, it will take hours to collect all the evidence, but I do not want a TAD underfoot."

"Agreed, but maybe it won't be that bad of a scene."

Once the truck arrived at the scene, Ziva looked around in dismay before turning to DiNozzo. "Is it too late to get that TAD?"

-NCIS-

"Agent Gibbs, would you join us please?" It was the tone more than the words that got Gibbs instantly on his feet.

"What's wrong?" He could hear McGee's upset voice even before the door was opened. Once inside, he repeated his question. "What's wrong?"

Tullis looked up briefly. "Agent McGee seems rather opposed to the treatment plan I've proposed."

Gibbs sat on the edge of Tim's bed, looking across at Tullis. "Which is?"

"We need to remove all of the dead and infected tissue and muscle while preserving as much as possible of the healthy parts of his arm."

"And how do you propose to do that?"

"Medical maggots."

"What?" Shocked, Gibbs glanced down at McGee. Even without the phobia the younger man suffered from, Gibbs felt his own stomach turn at the suggestion.

Dr. Tullis explained as if it were a perfectly normal suggestion. "Medical maggots are specifically bred for this. They're clean, they're sterile and they eat away all the damaged and diseased tissue without touching the unaffected tissue. We pack the wound with the little buggers and let them go to town."

Between them, Tim was frantically shaking his head. "I can't... Boss, I can't."

"McGee."

"I don't want to lose my arm, but there has to be a third option." Frightened green eyes looked up at Gibbs and he was struck by the level of trust he saw behind the fear. It reminded him of Kelly and her unwavering belief that he could do anything.

Tullis answered the question before Gibbs could pose it. "I'm sorry, this is truly our last resort. Either we do this or we schedule an appointment with the psychologist that will help him prepare for the amputation."

Gibbs looked him in the eye and slowly nodded. Tullis understood and quietly moved back to give the two men the illusion of privacy. Once he and the others were out of McGee's direct sight, Gibbs tilted Tim's face up to look at him. "You can do this, McGee."

"Boss..."

"You can do this."

"But..."

"You can do this, McGee. I know you; you can do anything you set your mind to, and I'll be with you every step of the way."

Tim didn't say anything else as he stared at Gibbs' face. Gibbs let him take his time, watching as the trust overpowered the fear in those expressive eyes. Eventually, the younger man nodded slightly and Gibbs let the pride show on his face before turning to Tullis. "Okay, let's do this."

Still perched on the far side of the bed, Gibbs subtly reached out and turned Tim's head towards him, keeping his hand in place to block McGee from accidentally looking as Tullis carefully packed the wound with the white, wiggling mass. Gibbs, however, watched with sick fascination as the procedure was done. Just as Gibbs thought he was going to have to look away, Dr. Tullis was finished.

When Tullis could get no more in place, the nurse took the rest aside and started to count them while the doctor carefully taped a fine mesh tightly in place over the occupied flesh. Next he wrapped it heavily with gauze.

"There you go, Agent McGee. Keep the dressing dry and we'll replace all that in two days. By then we should know if it's working."

"Okay." Tim took a shuddering breath and looked at his arm, relaxing as he saw how heavily everything was covered. "So, now what? Can I go back to work?"

"Tim, we have medical leave for a reason, remember?" If McGee felt he had something to prove, Gibbs was determined to nip it in the bud.

He shook his head. "Boss, I really need to keep busy, too busy to think about what's inside my arm right now. I'll work cold cases, I'll do everybody else's paperwork, just don't make me sit home and think about this all day, please."

It was a valid point, McGee already had a reputation for losing himself in his work, and it would allow Gibbs to better keep an eye on him. Gibbs turned to Tullis and Malone, who seemed to already understand. The two doctors looked at each other before Dr. Malone started laying down the rules.

"Strictly desk work, and that does not mean getting up and walking around, even to the printer. Don't forget, you're wearing a leg immobilizer. Luckily, it's on your left leg, so that you can use your right arm with a crutch, but I don't want you up and down a dozen times a day. The head and the break room are the extent of your travels, especially until the Cipro is totally out of your system. The last thing you need is to blow out a tendon in your other leg."

McGee hadn't even thought about the antibiotic possibly causing additional problems. "Yeah, okay, as long as I can stay busy."

Gibbs spoke up, apparently sealing the deal. "When he's not at work, he'll be staying with me."

"All right, we're going to do a quick MRI of his leg, make sure it's stabilizing, then you can go." A quick call from Dr. Malone and two orderlies whisked McGee away to radiology, the doctors trailing behind in deep conversation.

Alone with the nurse, Gibbs watched as she recorded how many of the maggots were not used for McGee. Curiosity got the best of him. "Why the count?"

She smiled as she dropped the last of the wigglers into a cup. "We started with a thousand, this way we know exactly how many of the maggots are imbedded in Agent McGee's arm. Most of the time it's not necessary, but since the wound is so jagged and deep we want to make sure we don't leave any in there too long. The last thing he needs is for us miss a few and have them start to hatch out in his arm."

Looking at the oozing, infected mess that was McGee's arm had been bad enough, watching as hundreds of maggots were shoved into every crevice had been even worse. The mental image her words provided sent Gibbs to the nearest restroom.

Rinsing his mouth, Gibbs stared at his reflection in the mirror. "Damn it, Gunny, hold it together. The kid's counting on you."


	7. Chapter 7

After a short lesson from one of the physical therapists, McGee was maneuvering quite well with his left leg immobilized and a crutch under his right arm, but Gibbs was still hyper-aware as he walked behind him, ready if the younger man lost his balance. Tony looked up as they entered the squad room.

"Hey, McGee, welcome back. Wasn't expecting to see you for a while."

"I can still work the computer, Tony, and it's better than sitting at home all day." Tim gratefully eased himself down into his chair and let Gibbs take his crutch.

Ziva smiled at the returning man before turning to DiNozzo. "I, for one, am glad to see you here. Besides, even with only one hand, McGee is faster at the computer than you are, Tony."

"Very funny, Ziva."

With the Director watching from the catwalk, Gibbs just rolled his eyes. "Back to work, you two. I'm going to brief the Director on McGee's status, then you can show me what you've got so far." He turned back to McGee, watching as he turned his monitor and moved his keyboard within reach. "Got everything you need?"

"I think so, Boss."

Gibbs watched for a moment before retrieving the broken chair stashed in an unused cubicle. Since it always fell to its lowest position, it was the perfect height for McGee to rest his leg. Once that was in place and Tim's leg was resting on it, he jogged up the stairs.

When she saw him coming, Jenny turned and retreated to her office, leaving the door open for him. As they sat opposite each other at the desk, she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the polished surface. "Is he up to working?"

"He needs it, Jen." Gibbs explained McGee's current medical situation in detail, watching as her eyes widened.

"They're in him now?" Jenny was clearly uncomfortable as she squirmed around in her chair. "They're not going to escape, are they?"

"Nah, they taped this fine metallic mesh over the whole area. As long as his arm stays dry, it should be fine."

"Should be?"

It was all Gibbs could do, not to roll his eyes even though he understood her squeamishness. "This is a hell of a lot harder on him than it is on any of us."

Director Shepard nodded, but didn't look totally convinced. "Can he feel them?"

There was a fleeting look on his face that told her he wasn't as comfortable as he'd like her to believe. "I haven't asked him."

-NCIS-

Tony watched his younger friend carefully. Tim was too quiet as he focused on the searches he was running. "Hey, McGee, let us bring you up to speed on the new case we caught this morning. You're probably going to be glad you had to sit this one out. Man, it was gross, you'd have lost your lunch for sure. Our DB was all bloated and covered in maggots and... ouch! Boss, didn't hear you come back."

Gibbs leaned close, taking DiNozzo's attention of of McGee, even as he was kicking himself for not realizing the problem sooner. Tony teasing Tim about the presence of any maggot at a crime scene was as regular as sunrise. "You two, go down and see what Abby's got."

One look at the thunderous face and Tony was on his way to the elevator, Ziva only a few steps behind him. Just as the elevator doors closed, he saw Gibbs bending over McGee, rubbing his back.

-NCIS-

"Easy, Tim. Nice, deep breaths, that's it." His hand was stinging from one of the hardest headslaps he'd ever doled out, but Gibbs' focus was on McGee. After a few minutes the color returned to McGee's face and he nodded to the older man.

"I'm okay now, Boss. Thanks."

"My fault, Tim. I should have realized the condition of the body would come up."

"Just Tony being Tony, Boss"

"Once he knows..."

"No." Tim shook his head, digging in his heels. "I don't want anyone to know that doesn't absolutely have to know."

Gibbs kept pushing. "He won't tease you once he knows."

"No, he'll feel guilty and that's even worse. It's better this way. He knows the subject's off-limits now and he won't bring it up again. That's all I need."

"Okay." Gibbs laid his hand on Tim's head for a moment before straightening up. McGee was right, Tony would feel horribly guilty if he knew exactly what the new treatment involved. He was proud of the younger man for taking the high road. "The Director needed to know, and Ducky should know, but it won't go any further than that. All right?"

"Thanks, Boss."

A quick phone call upstairs assured that Director Shepard wouldn't say anything, not that it was a subject she'd willingly discuss under any circumstances. Ducky would have to stay in the dark for a little bit longer.

-NCIS-

"I cannot believe you said that to McGee, Tony." Arms crossed, Ziva glared at him as the elevator descended.

"Oh, come on, I tease him about maggots all the time. We both do."

"Yes, well, perhaps with the infection in his arm he is more sensitive to those kind of jokes. We saw how bad his arm looked in those pictures."

"Yeah, I guess. I just wanted to help him loosen up a little bit, you know?"

"There is a time and place for everything, Tony." The steel doors opened and they walked down towards Abby's lab. "This is obviously not the time."

"Or the place." Tony looked into the lab to see Abby holding up an enlarged close-up of McGee's arm. "Abs, you might not want to have those out right now."

She spun around, grinning. "Hey, Tony, Ziva. Won't these be great next to the pictures of the blood splatter? The dichotomy of the juxtaposition of healthy flesh against the diseased..."

"ABBY!" If his maggot joke had been bad, having the evidence photos turned into modern art would be ten times worse. "Think about what that represents, okay?"

Ziva suppressed a shudder and turned away from the picture. "Yes, Abby, I do not think McGee would want his suffering immortalized as a piece of art. He seemed very – unsettled – when he arrived."

"He's here?" Abby smiled at the news. "Then he must be better. Gibbs wouldn't let him come to work if he wasn't."

"I don't know, Abby." Tony ruefully rubbed the back of his head at the remembered pain. "Gibbs has passed Papa Bear mode and is in full Grizzly Bear mode right now. I don't know if McGee is better or if Gibbs just doesn't want him out of his sight."

"Really?"

"Really."

-NCIS-

Having been summoned up to the squad room, Ducky was surprised to be ushered to a quiet corner where they could talk in private but Gibbs could still watch McGee.

"Jethro, what on earth..."

Before Ducky could ask his question, Gibbs noticed McGee's focus waver. He immediately called out, bringing his focus to the here and now. "Tim, look at me. Breathe." Gibbs took a few deep breaths, exaggerating the movement of his chest, until McGee matched his breathing and gave a nod in return.

Once Tim was back in control and returned to his work, Gibbs brought Ducky up to speed, including the joke from DiNozzo and McGee's refusal to discuss the situation.

Ducky stared in shock before shaking his head. "I've heard of such a treatment, but I've never known of it actually being used. I can't imagine how young Timothy is feeling after everything that has happened. It might do Tony some good to know the affect such an ill-timed joke would have under the circumstances, but I do understand Timothy's reluctance to hurt his friend."

As the two older men watched, Tony and Ziva returned from the lab. Ziva went straight to her desk, while Tony walked over and squatted down in front of McGee's.

"Hey, man, I'm sorry. I was just joking around earlier, but I didn't think about how it would effect you. Same with the dog attack CD – it was a stupid thing to do."

As Gibbs and Ducky moved closer, Tim finally looked up at Tony. The weariness on his face took Tony's breath away. "I know jokes are how you deal with the job, but right now everything's too fresh, too raw to laugh about it. I feel like I'm barely hanging on."

"Yeah, I get it now, but are you sure you're up to working?" This close, Tony could see the fine tremors in McGee's hands as they hovered above his keyboard.

"I need to keep busy, Tony, so I don't think about it." He meant the maggots, of course, but Tony had no way of knowing that.

"They've got another treatment for you, right? Some other kind of antibiotic?"

Tim shuddered and closed his eyes for a second before looking back up. "Yeah, they're trying another treatment. Hopefully it'll work."

"What happens if it doesn't?"

Gibbs decided it was time to step in. "Tony, time to stop digging."

"It's okay, Boss." Tim glanced up at him before turning back to Tony. "If this doesn't work, they'll amputate my arm. That's why I really, really need this to work."

After the warning from Gibbs, Tony knew better than to ask for more details, so instead he patted Tim's good shoulder as he stood. "I'm sure it will, Tim."

-NCIS-

It was a strangely quiet day as the identity of the dead sailor was determined, giving McGee plenty to do as he ran financials and phone records. Greg Walker had been classified as UA when he failed to report for duty three days ago. The late Seaman Walker's ship was already out to sea, leaving them few people to interview directly, so Tony and Ziva went through his background as they covertly watched McGee and Gibbs.

For the most part, McGee was able to keep his focus on his work, but Gibbs noticed every distraction. Usually a word was all that was necessary, but several times he walked over to join McGee at his desk.

Still remembering the feel of Gibbs' hand against the back of his head, Tony didn't comment, even though it was a near thing when Director Shepard walked through the squad room, giving McGee's desk a wide berth. Gibbs gave her a glare usually reserved for suspects and on her return she carefully walked in a straight line. Not understanding the strange behavior, Tony filed it away for later as he started reading the details of a reprimand in Walker's jacket.

At 17.30 Gibbs straightened up and closed the folder on his desk. "Okay everybody, pack it in. We'll hit it fresh again in the morning."

Ziva started to object to the early end of the day, but Tony gave a subtle shake of his head before letting his eyes flicker over at McGee, who was obviously flagging.

"No arguments from me, Boss. See everybody in the morning." Tony stood, grabbing his backpack as he glanced over at Gibbs. In response, Gibbs jerked his head towards the elevator. Understanding the silent command, Tony hurried Ziva to the elevator, leaving Gibbs to help McGee without an audience.

McGee seemed to be tilting, so Gibbs kept a supporting hand on the younger man's back as they made their way to the elevator. Gibbs didn't need to ask how he was doing, the exhaustion and pain was evident on his face. Once they were downstairs, he kept his hand on Tim's back as they made their way to his car.

A few spaces down, Tony DiNozzo sat in his car and watched as Gibbs and McGee slowly made their way to the sedan Gibbs had checked out. Gibbs leaned McGee against the side of the car while he unlocked the vehicle, then he carefully helped him sit down in the back seat, McGee's left leg sticking out of the car. Debating whether or not he should go help them, Tony continued to watch as Gibbs quickly circled around the car. McGee was obviously at the end of his endurance because Gibbs climbed into the back seat from the other side, wrapped his arm around McGee and pulled him across the seat until he was fully in the car. In a very paternal gesture, Gibbs brushed his hand over McGee's head before climbing out of the back seat, closing the doors and driving away.

Tony sat there in his car for a long time thinking about what he'd seen and what had led them to that point. Without a clear-cut plan he finally drove home, still thinking about everything.


	8. Chapter 8

It didn't take long for McGee to crash once Gibbs had gotten him in the house. By the time Gibbs was pulling the blankets over him in the small downstairs bedroom, he was asleep. Wanting to stay close, Gibbs settled on the sofa with an old, familiar book.

A little more than an hour later the first nightmare started. Gibbs rushed in, not wanting McGee to injure himself. Sure enough, the younger man was struggling with an unseen foe when Gibbs entered the room.

"Easy, easy, Tim." Gibbs gently caught the waving arms and pressed them back down, careful not to disturb the dressing on his left arm. It took a minute, but Gibbs realized that Tim was reliving the attack, trying to defend himself from the drugged up dog. It was only forty-five minutes before the second nightmare started, but the time the third one hit, Gibbs had moved a chair into the bedroom.

The hand resting on his forehead seemed to keep the nightmares at bay and Gibbs slouched down in his chair, finding a reasonably comfortable position for the rest of the night.

At 0500 Gibbs awoke, pleased by the few hours of sleep McGee had managed. Knowing the younger man wanted things as normal as possible, Gibbs slipped out to start getting ready for the day. After a quick shower, he arrived back in the bedroom just as McGee was waking up. He helped the younger man get ready for the day and coaxed him into eating a light breakfast.

Arriving at the Yard, they found that someone had beaten them there. A padded ottoman had replaced the broken chair and a soft pillow was waiting on McGee's desk. Tim glanced over at his boss, amazed at how he'd managed it.

Gibbs shook his head. "Wasn't me." Out of the corner of his eye he saw a familiar figure and let him listen. "Don't push yourself too hard today, you didn't exactly have a full night's sleep last night."

"Sorry, I didn't keep you awake, did I?" Tim settled at his desk, his leg up on the ottoman the the pillow supporting his arm.

"How long have you been having nightmares about the attack?" When McGee looked up, surprised, Gibbs explained. "You were fighting off the dog in your sleep."

"Oh." Tim looked down and shrugged. "I'll get used to it, I always do, but maybe I should stay at my own place. That way I'm not keeping you up, too."

A well placed, but soft, slap to the back of the head made Gibbs' point. "Not open to discussion, McGee." He glanced back over, but their watcher was gone.

-NCIS-

Ziva didn't have time to step off the elevator before Tony grabbed her arm and turned her away from the bullpen. Without a word, he led her to the back elevator and down to the sub-basement.

Abby looked up as they arrived in her lab, Tony still tugging Ziva behind him. "Hey, Tony, what's up?"

"Yes, Tony, what is the problem this morning?" Finally released, Ziva stared at her partner. "What is going on?"

"What do we know about when McGee was attacked by the dog?"

Abby became instantly quiet while Ziva frowned. "Tony, we were there, remember?"

"No, we were inside the house. We didn't know what was happening until it was over."

"And we never really talked to him about it, not the way we should have." Tony had been looked at Ziva as they talked, but then pointedly glanced over at Abby, who was staring at the floor.

It took a moment, but Ziva realized what DiNozzo had planned and nodded her consent. "You are right, we never did. Come along, Abby."

"What? Where are we going?" Tony and Ziva both had an arm hook through one of hers, carrying her along. It wasn't until they were in the elevator that Tony explained.

"After we have a bad experience out in the field, we need to talk about it, get it out of our systems. Probie never got the chance."

"Yes, Abby," Ziva picked up where Tony left off. "Even if McGee did not want to speak of the details, he would have used his free writing to work his way through what happened to him. His arm was too badly injured for that to be an option."

"Okay, so you guys are going to make him talk about it. What does that have to do with me?" Abby actually had a pretty good idea as she stared at the floor of the metal box.

"He needs to talk and you need to listen." Not giving the lab rat the chance to back out, he marched her out of the elevator. Letting go of her as they approached McGee's desk, Tony squatted down next to McGee.

Tim had settled into his seat, getting his leg elevated and his arm supported on the pillow. Now he watched as the rest of the team gathered in front of his desk. "Hey, guys, what's up?"

"We never debriefed after you were attacked." Tony pointed to the heavily bandaged arm. "I think it's time we did."

"Yes, McGee," Ziva didn't let go of Abby's arm as the two of them stood in front of McGee's desk and Gibbs watched them carefully. "Start from when we separated at the car."

"Umm, okay. Tim stared into space as he thought back. "You guys went to the front of the house and I had to circle around. I always have to rush when I'm the only one covering the back."

Abby couldn't help herself. "Why?"

"It's a lot quicker for the three of them to make sure the front is secure than for just one person to secure the rest of the outside." Tim shrugged, not noticing the guilt that flashed on several faces. "Anyway, the back door was ajar, so that's where I stationed myself. I had my weapon drawn in case he made a run for it, and then..."

"Then?" Tony tapped his good leg to keep him on track. "Is that when the dog came running out?"

Tim shook his head. "Not running, jumping. He came through the door airborne, head high. I didn't even know what was coming at me."

"You couldn't see it?" Once he thought about it, Tony realized that the sun had been high in front of McGee, the covered deck and doorway in deep shadow.

"No, I thought Hanson had thrown something out the door."

"To distract you before he made his escape?" Ziva had seen suspects do that multiple times, they all had.

"Yeah, that split second was enough that I couldn't adjust my aim quick enough and he plowed into me. I remember my head slamming onto the concrete and getting the wind knocked out of me. The dog had his teeth buried in my arm and he was clawing at my throat."

Abby whimpered and covered her mouth as she listened, but the rest of the group was focused on McGee. Tony started to say something, but Tim resumed his tale.

"When he jumped me, it knocked the gun out of my hand. The sun was in my eyes, I couldn't see anything, just the dog's outline as he kept tearing at my arm. I was just fumbling around with my other hand, trying to find my gun. I could hear... I could hear his teeth grinding against the bone and his growling. He was growling so loud, I was sure you guys could hear him."

From his desk, Gibbs carefully watched everyone's reaction. Tony and Ziva were watching McGee intently, both looking uncomfortable, while Abby had closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face. Up on the catwalk, he caught a glimpse of Director Shepard listening, along with a few people from HR. At his own desk, McGee seemed unaware of the affect his words were having as he stared off into space.

"You did not yell for help, McGee. Was it because you still could not breathe?"

Tim's eyes flickered slightly, so they knew Ziva's question registered on some level. Finally, he answered, but his voice was so low, they had to lean closer to hear. "I thought you guys were in trouble."

"Why?"

"I told Gibbs that I was in position and that the back door was open. Gibbs acknowledged me and you guys went in. That was the last I heard over the wire."

"Shit." Tony hung his head as he fought the urge to hit something. The fact that McGee wasn't screaming and had bounced right back up was what convinced him that the younger man wasn't badly injured. Now, he and the others saw the situation in a whole new light. "When did you realize that we were alright?"

"After I shot the dog. All I could think about was getting in there to back you guys up – didn't know you had the scene secured until Ziva walked out the door."

"When Tony and I came out there, we saw you upright and moving around, I thought you were okay." Gibbs shook his head in a near apology. "We should have checked closer. When did it all finally hit you?"

Tim didn't look up as he smoothed the edge of the gauze wrapped around his hand. "I guess after I got back here with the dog. Abby was yelling at me about how bad I was because I shot the dog and I finally realized how much it hurt and how close I came to getting killed. You guys were still processing the scene and Ducky and Palmer weren't back yet either. I just found a corner to hide in until I stopped shaking, then I went back to work."

Tony looked over his shoulder at Abby, seeing the tears dripping off her down-turned face. "See, and we thought you were here getting fussed over by Abby and that by the time we got back, you'd be ready for some teasing to lighten the mood." At his words, Abby started crying even harder and ran out of the room. Ziva started to follow her, but Gibbs shook his head.

"No, let her be. She's got some real thinking to do."

Sensing that his friend had also reached the end of his endurance, Tony stood and rested his hand on Tim's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Buddy, we let you down, but it won't happen again."

"I am sorry, too, McGee." Ziva leaned across the desk and kissed his cheek. As she and Tony returned to their desks, Gibbs gave an encouraging nod to McGee, reinforcing the support he'd found from the team.

As the working day started, they settled in to work. The new case had few leads and took most of their concentration. The few times that Tim's focus wandered. It was just as likely to be Tony to pull him back in, even if DiNozzo still didn't know all the details.

-NCIS-

Once the team was progressing on the case, Gibbs slipped away and went down to the sub-basement. No music was playing and Abby was in her office staring at her computer screen. Gibbs could hear the muffled sounds of dogs growling and snarling. Curious, he moved closer to see what she was watching.

Highlights of trained military and police dogs attacking well-padded volunteers, knocking them down and shaking them like rag dolls filled the screen. Abby was crying again, or still, as she watched.

She reached out and paused the video. The image froze eerily similar to how McGee had described his attack, the dog's teeth buried in the padded arm protector while his claws scraped across the metal and leather neck guard. Even Gibbs was uncomfortable with the image.

"Abs?"

"He must have been so scared, Gibbs."

"In his place, any of us would have been."

"Even you?"

Gibbs tapped the screen. Through the steel face guard, even the training officer's face showed a trace of fear. "Oh, yeah."

"He seemed so different with me, but that's the way he was trained, wasn't it?"

"I think you know the the answer to that one, Abby." Seeing the thoughtful look on her face, Gibbs left her to make her own decisions.


	9. Chapter 9

"Hi, guys." Abby's arrival in the bullpen was a surprise, and her nervously twisting fingers showed that she was unsure of her welcome.

"Abby." Gibbs gave her a subtle nod. He wasn't going to kick her out, but he wasn't going to make it any easier for her either. The rest of the team just waited to see what she was going to do.

Up on the catwalk, Jenny watched as Abby tried to work up enough courage to say what was on her mind. Just as she came downstairs to attempt a rescue, Abby finally blurted out what she had come to say. "I feel really bad about what happened to McGee and I'm sorry and can we go out to lunch together?"

Tim had a deer in the headlights expression on his face and the rest of the team wasn't sure if Abby meant the entire team or just the two of them. Just to be safe, Ziva decided to make the decision for them. "It has been a long time since all of us sat down together for a meal." She nodded at Jenny as the Director joined them.

Worried about the damage to her best team, Jenny threw her support behind the idea. "I think it's an excellent idea. In fact, I'll go with you since my lunch with Senator Eastman was canceled. We can use the reservations, my treat."

Gibbs knew there was no arguing with the Director, and he stood up, grabbing his coat. "Ziva, you drive Abby."

If Abby was disappointed to not be riding with McGee, she didn't show it as the two agency sedans followed the Director's SUV to her favorite restaurant. The weather was beautiful and the hostess lead them out to a table on the patio next to a large fountain. This time Gibbs let Tony help Tim get settled in his chair and his crutch tucked under the table.

Lunch was quiet at first, but when Tony started teasing McGee about Gibbs cutting his food for him, the ice was cracked and things became easier. Few words were spoken between Tim and Abby, but for once Abby didn't complain about not being the center of attention.

"Here, McGee, you may have the last breadstick." Smiling, Ziva grabbed the basket before Tony could reach in and set it in front of Tim.

"Hey." But there was no heat in Tony's complaint as he nudged the dipping sauce closer to the other man.

Gibbs bit back a smile as he watched a blush creep across the younger man's face. Satisfied with the repairs being made to the team, he looked around. It was a nice restaurant, one he'd been to several times, even though he preferred the smaller family owned places when he had a choice.

Several tables over an obviously new trophy wife was showing off her jewelry to a jealous friend, attracting the attention of both Gibbs and Tony, in addition to a group of young men walking down the sidewalk. Nodding at his Senior Agent, Gibbs stood and started casually moving to intercept the gang if they made a move. Tony followed suit, paralleling his movements, a row of tables over.

It went down fast. The woman screamed as her necklace and rings were yanked off and her purse grabbed. The attackers scattered, forcing Gibbs and Tony to separate to capture as many of them as possible. Several of the gang members ran towards the table where the rest of the group was seated. Ziva jumped to her feet and charged at one of the men, while McGee instinctively stood to protect the two women at the table. Unbalanced, he'd barely climbed to his feet before one of the suspects plowed into him and the two of them tumbled into the pool at the base of the fountain.

"McGee!" Jenny grabbed the suspect and pulled him off of the injured man as Tim continued to struggle to sit up. Gibbs had his suspect cuffed and tossed him towards Tony before rushing over to help McGee up and hopefully out of the water.

"Easy, I've got you." Gibbs wrapped his arm around Tim's waist, getting him turned so he could sit up without putting pressure on his damaged leg.

Remembering the warnings to not get the bandages on his arm get wet, Tim started to panic. "Boss, it's... what if it comes loose?"

Gibbs could feel the thick gauze almost doubling in thickness as it absorbed the water and knew there was no time to waste. "Okay, on three, we're going to stand up. You ready?"

"Yeah." By now the suspects were cuffed and Tony handed them all over to Ziva and the Director to deal with before coming over to help. After a quick countdown, Gibbs pushed up from behind and Tony lifted from the front and they had McGee standing in the fountain on his one good leg. The pool was several feet tall, so Tim sat on the edge and swung his good leg over before Tony helped him swing his immobilized leg over so he could stand up, Gibbs both steadying him and holding his arm tight at the wrist, holding his jacket firmly against the bandages. Shocked, Abby stood still among the chaos, clutching McGee's crutch, as she watched. Gibbs never panicked, of course, but he was certainly more concerned than she'd ever seen him.

Once they had Tim in a chair, Gibbs snapped his fingers at one of the waitresses. "Plastic wrap, now."

She scurried off as the Hostess rushed up, apologizing and promising that the police were on their way. Gibbs gave her the briefest of nods as he removed the sling, not letting go of Tim's wrist. When the waitress returned with the plastic wrap, he had them both help him wrap it firmly around McGee's arm, from above his elbow down to completely encase his hand before replacing the sling.

"Boss, I can feel..."

Gibbs pressed his free hand against Tim's forehead. "Concentrate on my hand, Tim, that's all you feel. Tony, get the car. Ziva, you wait and turn the suspects over to the local LEO's."

DiNozzo nodded at Gibbs' words and turned, Jenny catching his arm. "Get him to the hospital quickly, Tony. I'll call his doctor."

The car was brought as close as possible and Gibbs helped McGee slide in the back seat before joining him. Abby was still standing there and she followed without a word, scooting the crutch along the floorboard of the back seat before sitting in the front passenger seat.

-NCIS-

As he drove to Bethesda, Tony kept glancing in the rear-view mirror. McGee seemed more frightened than in pain, but he didn't know why. Gibbs, the rock they had always depended on, had an expression on his face that didn't quite match the calm, low tones he used to talk McGee through whatever was wrong. Next to Tony, Abby watched from her seat before turning to him and shrugging, also baffled by exactly what damage had been done by McGee's dunk in the fountain.

Their arrival at the hospital didn't settle any of the questions floating around Tony's mind. Two doctors and several more nurses swarmed the car, immediately moving Tim from the back seat onto a stretcher with Gibbs' help. Abby didn't say a word, but followed behind Tony hated the idea that he would be separated from his friend, so when he saw one of the closest parking spaces open up, he cut another car off and pulled in first, allowing him to run and catch up with the procession as they wheeled McGee into an exam room, Gibbs and Abby flanking the stretcher.

In the examination room, Tony and Abby were ignored as the two doctors worked to assess McGee's situation. Dr. Tullis undid the quick release on the sling before helping Tim slide his uninjured arm out of his soggy shirt and coat. "All right, let's see what your impromptu swim did to our little friends."

"The screen's come loose, I can feel them."

Hearing the odd statements, Tony turned to Abby, who had suddenly stilled, a thoughtful expression on her face. Before he could ask her about it, she shook her head. Tony returned his attention to McGee, watching as the plastic was cut loose and the clothing slid down McGee's arm. The bulky gauze was obviously waterlogged, but Tony didn't understand the reasoning behind the large basin that was placed under the arm until the doctor started cutting off the wrap.

"What the hell?" Tony stared in horror as the first few maggots became visible, wiggling in the wet gauze. It was when the mesh panel was removed and McGee's arm turned so that more maggots began tumbling out of his wound that Tony fully realized what he was looking at. He started gagging and it was only the quick action of one of the nurses that got him over a waste bin before his lunch made a reappearance.

-NCIS-

When McGee announced that the screen had come loose, Gibbs braced himself. He grasped Tim's chin and turned the younger man's face away from his arm to look directly at Gibbs. Gibbs never broke eye contact, ignoring the morbid curiosity that wanted him to look at the maggots as they were removed. He ignored the chaos behind him, until the nurse moved the basin away and Dr. Tullis pulled a lighted magnifying lens close to examine the wounds, Dr. Malone leaning over his shoulder.

By the time Gibbs turned around, Tony and the nurse that was helping him were gone, so Gibbs looked at Abby. Her feet hadn't moved from her spot, but she was leaning over to watch as the removed maggots were sorted and counted.

"Abs? Abby?"

It took calling her name twice to drag her eyes away from the activity. She seemed torn between horror and the scientific fascination she was known for. "Gibbs, that... that... oh, McGee." She took a half step closer, then stopped, both the crowd around the bed and the uncertainty of her welcome holding her back.

Smiling at her restraint, Gibbs returned his attention to McGee, brushing the damp hair back into place. "How ya' doing, McGee?"

"I'm okay, Boss, now that they're, well, you know. It was just every nightmare I'd ever had about them coming to life, you know?"

"Oh, yeah." Not wanting to admit how close the situation came to topping off his squick-o-meter, Gibbs quickly changed the subject. "The docs handled it, McGee, it's over."

"And it's working." Dr. Malone's voice startled them both. He grinned at Dr. Tullis before continuing. "We're seeing a huge improvement already, Tim. A few more sessions and we're going to beat this."

"I'm not going to lose my arm?"

"Nope, and it looks like you'll be left with much more muscle tissue than I'd ever hoped. That will make your rehab much more likely to give you a positive outcome."

"That's great to hear." Gibbs patted McGee's shoulder. "Knowing that it's working makes it a whole lot easier to deal with, right?"

"Yeah." Swallowing hard, Tim looked down at his arm. "Think I'll stay away from fountains for a while, though."

That got a laugh and Gibbs patted his shoulder again. "No arguments there, Tim."

When Gibbs straightened up, McGee looked around, smiling at Abby before looking back at Gibbs. "Where's Tony?"

"He, umm, stepped out for a minute." Abby started edging closer, watching her welcome. When neither man objected, she took another step closer. "I read about some clinical trials on this a while back, I'm so glad it's working for you. It's really amazing how much better it looks already."

"Thanks, Abby." The faint smell left in the room told McGee that Tony hadn't just 'stepped out'. "Boss, I'll be okay for a little bit if you want to go check on Tony."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, Abby can keep me company."

Gibbs was proud of the young man for his concern and his willingness to allow Abby close to him again after everything that had happened.

She understood that he was offering her a second chance. "I'll take real good care of him, until you get back, Bossman."

Using a hug to pull her close enough to whisper in her ear, Gibbs laid down some rules. "Keep him focused on something besides what they're doing to his arm and don't let him look at the maggots. I'm counting on you, Abs, don't let me down."

When they pulled apart she had a very serious expression on her face as she nodded. There was no doubt she knew this was her last chance to fix things. "I won't, I swear."

-NCIS-

A nurse pointed out a treatment room across the hall and Gibbs found Tony sitting on a gurney, one of the residents pushing his head down between his knees. "That's it, Agent DiNozzo, just take a few more deep breaths and then we'll let you sit up."

When he was finally allowed to sit up, Tony was obviously embarrassed by his reaction. The resident checked his pulse one last time before moving away, giving a short nod to Gibbs. "He's fine. We've given him something to settle his stomach."

Tony wouldn't look Gibbs in the eye as a nurse handed him a fresh emesis bag before stepping away. he shifted the emesis bag from hand to hand. "Hey, Boss, you should be staying with McGee. He..."

"He sent me over to check on you."

"Why would he do that? He's the one with... with..." Tony swallowed hard, pressing his lips together as he fought his body's reaction. "How could they let that happen to him? I thought they were checking him every day."

Gibbs shifted over to lean against the bed next to DiNozzo. "They are, that's why they're using the maggots." He rubbed Tony's shoulder as the other man gagged at the mention of the maggots. "Believe it or not, they've done more to clean out that wound than all those weeks of antibiotics put together."

Tony turned to stare at his boss. "They deliberately put those in his arm? And he let them? With his phobia?"

"It was either that or begin to prepare for an amputation."

"Damn." Tony thought back, realizing when it had been done. "When I was teasing him about that body dump, he'd just had it done, right?"

"Yep."

"He must hate me."

"He wouldn't let me tell you because he didn't want you to feel guilty. What does that say to you?"

"That he's a better friend than I give him credit for." Tony shook his head, suddenly angry with himself. "He's going through all that and I'm the one they have to take care of. I feel so stupid."

"Nothing stupid about an honest reaction."

"Yeah? Well, I didn't see you puking." When Gibbs raised an eyebrow at him, Tony stared in shock. "You? Really? You puked?"

Gibbs knew that his own confession would make it easier for Tony. "Any harder and I'd have been spitting out my toenails."

"Really? What did..."

"DiNozzo, do you really want to know the details?"

Tony thought about it and shuddered again. "No, probably not."

"Good." Gibbs pushed himself upright and took a step towards the door. "I'll have one of the nurses come get you after they get McGee's arm repacked and wrapped up again."

"Repacked? You mean they're going to put more of those... Yeah, I'll wait until that's done." Tony waited until Gibbs was almost at the door. "Can he feel them?"

Gibbs turned back at the question, but Tony answered himself before Gibbs could. "When he gets distracted..."

"Yeah."

"So we need to make sure he doesn't get distracted." Tony nodded and smiled for the first time since they'd arrived at the hospital. "I can help with that, Boss."

Gibbs was glad to see that this had the potential to bring his kids closer together. "Counting on it, DiNozzo."


	10. Chapter 10

Gibbs had just stepped out of DiNozzo's room when his phone rang. It was the Director's personal number, obviously she wanted an update. "Gibbs."

_~Jethro, how is Agent McGee? Was there any additional damage to his arm?~_

"The water loosened everything up so they had to remove and replace the maggots early, but..."

_~Is there another word we can use, Jethro?~_

Snorting to himself, Gibbs continued on. "It looks like his _little friends_ are doing their job even better than we'd hoped. Doc's really pleased with his progress already."

_~And his leg?~_

"So far, no worse. They're going to replace the immobilizer since that one is soaked. We should be able to leave here in a bit, but take my team out of the rotation, Jen. DiNozzo's having a little trouble with this. They had to give him a shot to calm his stomach down."

_~Did he see the...~_

"The escape? Oh, yeah, so did Abby. She handled it better, though."

~No surprise there, Jethro. Ziva's going to have questions, what do you want me to tell her?~

The cat was well out of the bag now, so Gibbs gave her the go-ahead. "Tell her everything, but if you don't want that expensive lunch to go to waste, you might wait a bit."

_~Funny, Jethro.~_

Gibbs heard the dial tone and snickered to himself as he closed his phone. Inside the tough as nails Director was still the Probie that hurled all over Ducky's shoes. He stepped inside McGee's room to find his agent quietly sleeping. Abby was sitting close to his head, gently stroking his hair as she wiped at her face with her other hand. Gibbs was instantly concerned.

"Abby, everything okay now?"

She nodded before wiping the back of her hand under her nose. "He's more of a friend than I deserve sometimes."

While part of him always hated to see her upset, he was glad to see the understanding. "You're the only one that can change that, Abs."

"I know." She thought back to the day he'd been attacked and how she'd immediately turned on him when she saw the injured dog. How her anger had set the mood for the way the rest of the team treated McGee for weeks afterward. Seeing the photographic evidence hadn't been enough, it wasn't until she'd seen the wiggling mass of maggots tumbling out of her friend's torn skin that she'd fully understood how horrific the injury had been.

Gibbs always told people that the buck stopped with him, but he relied on Abby's mind and her lab to give him the answers he needed. A mind and a lab that hadn't bothered to look at the drugs and contaminates in the dog's mouth, had dismissed McGee's troubles when early treatment would have made such a difference. Tim's easy forgiveness and desire to forget made her feel even more ashamed. She finally looked up at Gibbs. "I know, I get it now."

-NCIS-

Even though the nurse had told him everything was done, Tony cautiously opened the door while staying put in the hallway. "Everybody all tucked away? No stragglers wandering around?"

"Get in here, DiNozzo." There wasn't much bite to Gibbs' growl , nor was there much spark behind the grin on Tony's face.

"Hey, Probie, sorry I bailed on you." Still embarrassed, Tony edged slowly towards McGee.

After forgiving Abby, Tony was easy. "That's okay. If the tables ever turn, I'll reserve the right to hide in a corner and puke."

Tim was expecting a typical DiNozzo comeback, but Tony was deadly serious. "Not so sure I'd be brave enough to handle what you're dealing with." Finally close enough, he reached out and laid his hand on McGee's uninjured arm. "You doing all right?"

"Yeah, the doctors say it's working. I can put up with a lot if I get to keep my arm."

Tony didn't know what to say to that, so he settled for another squeeze of McGee's arm, using the return of the doctor as an excuse for his silence.

"All right, Agent McGee, I just looked at the latest scan of your leg and it confirmed no additional damage. We'll finish getting you cleaned up and out of here."

-NCIS-

"I'm afraid that's all I know, Ziva, but perhaps Ducky could answer any questions."

Ziva didn't wait for an official dismissal as she rushed out of the Director's office and headed for the stairs. She was running by the time she hit the Autopsy doors. "Ducky... McGee... maggots? They filled his arm with maggots? Why would they do that? For someone like McGee, that had to be torture rather than medicine."

Jenny had called down, warning him that Ziva was on her way, confessing how little detail she'd given the Israeli woman. Unfortunately, Jimmy was next to him and heard the entire rant.

"Maggots? In McGee's arm? Who put maggots inside him?"

Sighing, Ducky gave up any hopes of a productive afternoon and steered them both to his desk. "Let us have a cup of tea and I will tell you both all about it."

-NCIS-

McGee looked exhausted as he struggled up the front porch steps, Gibbs at his side, DiNozzo hovering behind him as Abby rushed ahead to open the door. Dressed in scrubs from the hospital, his sling and immobilizer replaced with dry ones, he went straight to the sofa. Gibbs and Tony helped get him comfortable while Abby fetched a blanket and several pillows.

"Thanks, guys."

Tony watched his friend for a moment, then glanced at the time. He couldn't remember how much McGee had eaten before everything went sideways, but it was already well past 18.00. He touched Gibbs' arm. "I'm going to go grab some food for everybody, arrange to get our cars here."

A nod was his only answer as Gibbs watched Abby settle on the floor next to McGee's head.

Still feeling guilty, Abby carefully straightened the strap on McGee's sling, making sure it wasn't digging into his neck. She pulled her hand back, hovering over his arm. "Does it still hurt?"

"Not really. Between the pain pills and the fact that the infection is finally starting to clear, it's down to a dull ache – unless I get bumped."

Abby took it as a warning and shifted around very carefully until she was leaning against the sofa. Gibbs watched, knowing that eventually her curiosity would battle her feelings of guilt. It actually took longer than he was expecting.

"Can you feel them?"

McGee made a face. "I'm trying not to."

She was immediately contrite. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault, Abby."

"Yeah, it is."

Tim rolled his head enough to look at her. "You didn't bite me, Abs."

"No, but I put the dog first and that's even worse. She laid her cheek against his head and fell silent again, letting Tim doze next to her.

It was still quiet when Tony returned with Ziva, both of them heavily laden with dinner, snacks and movies to watch. As Tony attached his DVD player to Gibbs' old television, Ziva moved over to watch McGee.

Ducky had explained in detail about the strange medical procedure McGee was enduring, but it was Tony's honest reaction that had shaken Ziva the most. Watching the expression on his face as he suddenly walked out of their usual Chinese restaurant, unable to face a bowl of white rice told her everything she needed to know. She dropped to her knees and touched Abby's shoulder, keeping her voice low. "How is he?"

"They say it's better." Abby shrugged as she chewed on her lip. "The pictures were minor in comparison to the real thing and then to see all of the..." She shuddered and shook her head, unable to continue.

The voices didn't wake McGee, but the smell of the fried chicken, potatoes and gravy had him breathing deeper and just as the last plate was filled, he opened his eyes.

"Hey, feeling better? Ready to eat something?" When he got a nod, Gibbs helped Tim sit up as Tony brought a kitchen chair in to rest his leg on.

Dinner was unusually quiet with McGee concentrating on not spilling as he ate right-handed and the team carefully watching, trying to anticipate any need he might have. Things didn't start getting close to normal until plates were cleared and Tony picked up the stack of movies he'd picked up.

"Well, since the next Harry Potter movie comes out in a few weeks, I thought you might like to watch the first four."

"Really?"

"Yes, McGee." Ziva spoke up with a smile. "I remembered that you enjoyed the books so Tony and I thought it might be nice to see exactly what all the excitement is all about."

Abby was smiling and even Gibbs gave a slight shrug as they settled in to watch _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone._

-NCIS-

Staying out of the field meant paperwork for the day and Cynthia brought down enough files to keep them busy for at least a week. Neither Tony nor Ziva uttered a complaint about being grounded, but Tony was in fine form, making it his personal mission to keep McGee from thinking about his arm.

"Just think if magic were real, Probie." Tony rolled up a piece of paper and started waving it around as his makeshift wand. "No more typing up reports, just wave your wand and it's done. How about – ypetay eportray?"

McGee was laughing. "Tony, that's Pig Latin, not magic."

"No, no, it could work. Let me think of another one. Oh, I know. Arrestway ethay uspectsay."

Gibbs came around the corner, coffee in hand, followed by Abby, as Tony waved his wand and shouted. Gibbs didn't bat an eye, just pointed at DiNozzo. "Silencio." All three agents on his team were stunned into silence.

Behind him, Abby's eyes widened. "Wow, it worked. You really are magic, Gibbs." He smirked and continued on up to the Director's office while Abby stopped at McGee's desk.

"Here, I brought you some lunch." She started laying out the elaborate meal. "Here's an orange salad because vitamin C helps repair tissue and vitamin E can improve your immune system. All the greens have lots of vitamin A which promotes new cell growth. The steak is because you need a lot of protein to rebuild the damaged muscle, McGee. For dessert you have yogurt to keep the good bacteria in your gut from being destroyed by all the antibiotics you've had to take. There's wheat germ sprinkled on top because if you don't have enough Zinc in your diet, it can suppress your immune system."

Her words were coming faster and faster as the guilt bubbled back up. Tim reached out and laid his hand on her arm, trying to calm her down. "Thanks, Abs. This means a lot and I'm sure it will help."

Still struggling with her guilt, Abby brought a chair over and sat, carefully cutting the meat for McGee. Tony and Ziva left for their own lunch, so Tim leaned closer to Abby, keeping his voice down. "Did you tell Gibbs that spell?"

"No, why?" Abby snuck a blueberry that she was convinced was about to fall out of the yogurt.

Tim glanced around before leaning even closer. "Because that spell is from one of the later books, it wasn't in any of the movies we watched last night."

"Are you sure?" When McGee gave her 'that' look, she just grinned. "Like I said, Gibbs is magic."

-NCIS-

One week later

"Guys, are you sure about this? You really don't have to do this." It was time to remove the last batch of maggots and a car load of his friends had tagged along when Gibbs took him to the hospital.

"Hey, you've had to deal with them every day since this started. We can handle a few minutes." When McGee just stared at him, Tony admitted his plan. "Okay, we may not actually look at them, but at least we'll be in the same room as you while they do it."

"Thanks, Tony."

True to his word, Tony looked at just about everything except the last small batch of maggots as they were flushed out of the remaining wounds. Palmer watched through his fingers, while Ziva lasted about ten seconds before she had to look away. Abby handled it by helping the nurse sort and count the removed maggots while Gibbs had perfected the art of not quite looking. Ducky had barely started on a rambling story about an encounter one of his mentors had with a maggot infestation when everyone, including several nurses, implored him to stop. Only Gibbs saw the grin when Ducky turned away.

Once Dr. Tullis had the last one removed, everybody moved closer to peer over his shoulder. He smiled, his smile widening as he bumped into someone as he straightened. "Well, Agent McGee, we're now looking at healthy, viable tissue with no sign of infection."

After so long, Tim had been afraid to hope. "You're saying that I won't lose my arm?"

"I'm saying that with some serious work, it's entirely possible that you won't even lose any function." Tullis waited a minute until the shouts and cheering died down. "In fact, I'm going to order your first sessions with a physical therapist right now. No fine motor exercises for a few more weeks until the skin is completely healed over, but we can get started on rebuilding your strength and flexibility in your arm now. With any luck, that part of your PT will be done by the time you start rehabbing your leg."

Dr. Tullis patted Tim's shoulder before standing to let the nurse in to start bandaging his arm.

"Timothy, I am so glad for you, young man."

"Way to go, Buddy, I knew you'd beat this thing."

"Oh, Timmy..."

"Bet you're glad that's over."

"I, too, am pleased, McGee."

Tim let all the words wash over him as he looked to the man whose silent strength had gotten him through the entire ordeal. Gibbs gave him a soft smile and a nod, words were unnecessary between them now, but he did lean close after Tony herded the rest of the group out the door. "Proud of ya' McGee. I knew you could do it, son."

* * *

**a/n - Thank you all for your support and wonderful reviews, you're the best. I'm still fighting the flu from hell, but I should be back soon with something. Maybe something short until I get back on my feet and can think again.**


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